You don't have to be respectful or cautious. And as for reputation, it is earned in the forum over time, based on your contribution. It is not really important to get personal tips from other users, if you say you have familiarized yourself with the forum rules, then that's all right; you'll pick up the rest as you go on. Just enjoy the forum, post in discussions you have knowledge about, and only read and learn in those you have no knowledge about.

 How can I pay The Merit Sources. I really want to level up really fast.
i know its wrong. And wont do it

He's just kidding with you, hehehe, it was a joke because there's no way to pay for merits, you have to earn them  

A not-so-obvious tip I give to beginners is, if possible, to participate in the local board in your language, if available
Local boards are usually a great place to start

But in the beginning, read a lot of the topics that interest you, and you'll notice how people here post, and you'll get used to it

My only tip is that, you should enjoy the forum. Because once you do, you won’t get tired of studying more and doing further researches in order for you to provide a healthy and informative discussion in the forum. And as always, learn from others and make sure they also learn from you. That way, you will also feel your value in the forum especially if you receive unexpected merits because of your genuineness and dedication to make this forum an engaging and interesting one.

I don't expect that we know everything the very moment we start the forum, but giving to learning by reading other's posts, learning from them and also reading online, it is important that you take time in learning without going in haste, because growth is not achieved once, but a gradual process we ought to go through, so that everything we have learnt will sink on our head and be useful to us later in future where applicable, we can also imbibe this on others, follow the rules here, be polite and show interest with the forum by seeing here as a learning ground

First and foremost, respect should always be observed in the forum, regardless of your rank or position. So as long as you know how to appreciate everyone’s post and make positive compliments, or constructive criticisms if needed, then you’re good here.

Just know that there’s no secret tips for you to succeed in this forum. Just be yourself and build your own confidence, and you can only do that if you prioritize feeding yourself with new insights and ideas that would be very useful in the forum.

There was a time I got so emotional here in this forum because of some of the criticisms I got on some of the threads I created and some other reasons I can't really figure out. I tool a few times off the forum to address my emotions and came back doing my thing like no one is watching.

To grow here in this forum, you must be active and consistent. However while at it, you might experience some criticisms base on your work here. Some may be a bit challenging but that's absolutely nothing to worry about as long as you do not have ulterior motives and not going against the rules if the forum.

Relax and learn from those who have been here before you.

I read a member's comment above who said nobody cares about respect but I don't think it's true. In this forum, paying maximum respect to the ranks and the most respected and revered members is very important. You cannot just be disrespectful unnecessary and expect to last in the forum. Also as a newbie, you must understand the need to be positive. Positivity should flow through your blood veins because it is a requirement for constant growth and uplift in the forum. In fact, I've seen a situation recently in the Meta board where a member was served a negative tag because of his negative reply to a fun site developed by another member and he was made to apologize before it was taken off again.

I'm referring to this to let you know the importance of being noble and not unnecessary disrespectful to others in the forum. Respect they say is reciprocal. When you respect others, you will be respected in return. So do not underestimate the importance of being cordial to others while you bring out your own contributions. Do not use derogatory words and do not think you're smart or you know it all.

Any knowledge yu think you have, trust me, a member of this forum knows it or at least have an idea over it. So, it is basic for you  to understand we have different respected caliber of experts here across all boards who are seasoned & humble in their course.

Well... if you really have to ask then its better not to even bother. Hehe!

From pinned threads, you can learn almost most basic and also important rules, guides about the forum and other things.

You asked about etiquettes so here you go with my thread.

• Bitcointalk posting etiquette.

You don't need to spend time to read all etiquettes and master them before posting but make sure you spend decent time and efforts for learning about them gradually over time as it is very helpful for your posting skills here.