Wierd?

[obloquy]

Yes, however, not every newcomer is is a novice. And it can be hard to tell sometimes. I have no idea how to tell, I guess only time can.

If a newcomer is not a novice, then they can chill with the advanced posters and I can't see why they would feel intimidated. It's not hard to tell when someone is completely out of place. Here's a little checklist to give you an idea of what to look for:
[*]They'll bring up topics that have been thoroughly hashed out many times without offering any new angle[*]They'll try to make points by presenting completely illogical arguments[*]They often cite Tolkien 'guides', Middle-earth-based games, or the movies as valid sources for information[*]Frequently they're almost completely incapable of comprehensible articulation[*]They display an utter unfamiliarity with advanced Tolkien topics (e.g. "the Mayas")

In addition to this far-from-exhaustive checklist, there are also several subtle clues that the individual really doesn't belong in The Books forum. For example, it's common for a novice to put Tolkien into Mighty Morphin Power Ranger-terms, saying something like, 'sence Gandalf is a Mayar and Saruan is a Mayar there must be the same strong.' Oversimplification of complicated and dynamic Tolkienology. One that is particularly telling (yet also subtle) is when the poster declares some trivial Tolkien fact as if it is something new that others may not have considered.

The Books forum is not about making kids feel good about themselves. Some people just simply aren't...prepared for that forum.