Take advantage of the community. They like it. Trust me no one is going to feel bothered if you send them /tells. i think this is the key to success to enjoying this game, not necessary to progress, but to have fun. I think a common complaint that some people have is the sense of community isn't as strong as FFXI. So be the Initiator when it comes to community interaction.

Use the Player Search Function to find/seek parties and players.

Get comfortable with the Market ward and retainers. This feature is something i notice a lot of new players tend to gloss over at first.