Join the site as a friend and set up your profile!
We use Google Friend connect for the social aspect of the site, e.g. the commenting system.
If people leave comments on your content (if you become a full site member) then you will probably want to respond etc. For that you will login as a site friend (the same way EVERYBODY can), so make sure you are set up and have joined as a site friend!
Here is the HCJ projects profile, as an example of a site friend profile. How to set up your Google Friend Connect profile.

Join the forums!
Join the forums, and introduce yourself before submitting your application?
The forums are the best way to ask questions about how the project works before deciding what membership route would best suit you (e.g. standard or assisted ).
If you want to add your content yourself, then joining the forums first will help provide you with a clearer picture of how to add your content to the main site, and make the process less frustrating for you (and for us).
If you don't join the forums, you'll feel a little lost, and will have wasted your (and our) time.
Note: You need to register seperatly (the forums are public access) introduce yourself and your permissions will then be set manually. This set-up keeps spammers out of the forums.

Who decides if I get let in, and how long does it take?
If your application is "clear cut" then you will hear back in a couple of days.
If the administration team decides to refer your application to a member vote it will take longer (a member vote may become the standard way of approving applications in the future).
Every effort is made to inform each applicant once a decision has been made.
There is a post on the "HCJ insider blog" with information about voting which you should read here.

Can I pay to join?
No. Application success is based on merit.
The paid plans for "Assisted members" are to allowing universal access, e.g. give people who do not want to, or may be technically challenged by the prospect of adding their content with a browser based WYSIWYG editor.
The payment goes towards covering the laobour costs involved in adding your content, and the money helps to cover the running costs.
Assisted payments should be made after membership has been approved: they are not a way for people to "buy their way in".

Promotion
Site members are expected to link to the project from their site where appropriate, and are encouraged to use project content (e.g. gallery maps, feeds etc).
Join as a "site friend" and invite people!
Unlike site members, the number of site friends possible is not limited by hardware or administration considerations, as it is powered and runs on Google's hardware / infrastructure. Site friends cannot publish content but do get some limited exposure and interaction on the site: that is good for them and reflects positively on the project.

Licence
How will content I submit be licensed?
This site is licensed under an "Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported" licence.
Simply put that means we encourage the re-distribution of material on the site, but the licence does not allow modification or commercial use, There is a very informative video about the creative commons on our licence info page.

Service guarantee
The Web site and it's members strive to provide accurate and informative information, but as with any large body of information generated collectively there is no definitive guarantee of accuracy.
Web site availability: every effort is made to provide a fast readily available service, but occasionally there may be network or server outages which are out of our control. Follow us on Twitter for updates.

Member Guidelines
Members agree to "play fair" and treat other members respectfully.
Members who break the guidelines are liable to have membership rights removed.

I'm in Yippee!! (now what?)
The whole concept of the site is a grandiose one and not instantly grasped by most.
We have tried to provide an explanation on the various help pages, please read them. If you think it can be said better we would welcome any constructive criticism.