Dipping my toes in the water

fluffypoppet​(sub female){Protected} - You are going to get soooooo many people offering to "help" you with that.

There are people that prey on the inexperienced. There are Doms that look specifically for new subs. It can be predatory. Some of those people will offer you "protection" or a "mentor" or "educator."

Vet everyone. Ask loads of questions. If you get bad vibes or a red flag- just run.

Invest in getting to know people in the community. Make friends. You'll want people you can ask for advice without having to post publicly. Especially make friends with subs. I LOVE the subs here.

More importantly... get to know yourself. You need to know your boundaries and limits. Whomever you play with needs to know them too. It is necessary to be safe.

Keep reading and researching everything.
Check out some podcasts.
Take some classes.
Attend some munches.
Keep asking questions. You didn't do anything wrong at all with your post.

Become risk aware... the greatest harm might not come from whips and chains. Be mindful of the emotional/psychological side of things. It can be... impactful.

DiamondHypnotist​(dom female) - Fluffypoppet gave you great advice and I co-sign all of that!!!

So, I’m going to throw in a non-traditional suggestion. The thing that has been the most helpful for me in the scene, getting to know people, going to munches and cons, even engaging in scenes themselves… has been improv!

Most of life and especially meeting new people, is an improv scene and facing whatever fears that come up for you there will leave you better equipped over here.

Ok, welcome and best of luck!!

Heero​(dom male) - Hi there and welcome. I'm mostly replying to throw my hat in the ring for the sake of consensus. I agree with what @fluffypoppet and @DiamondHypnotist have said and I would have said the same things had they not responded. Nothing really to add at this point. They gave great general advice and you can get more tailored advice from trusted friends you can find in the community.

To maybe expand on things a bit though: the resources on this website can be a great help. Not only the articles in the forums, but the personal forums and blogs even. A lot of people have gone through the sorts of things you are going through and would also have posted about it. See if there are any posts by subs here that resonate with you. The posts themselves can be helpful, but another thing that could be helpful is to reach out to the original poster or even some people who responded to said post who seem to make sense to you. The featured articles I've read here also seem pretty good.

Keep in mind what @fluffypoppet said and be sure not to be taken advantage of. There are a lot of great people here, but there are also a few not-so-great people that can spoil the fun for everyone. So look out for red flags as @fluffypoppet said. I would assume that you know what some basic red flags are, but you can ask if you're not sure. basically anything that violates you consent is a huge red flag. Things that violate your comfort level may also be as well, especially if your comfort level is disregarded and someone just continues doing said things.

There is an events section on this site, though I cannot vouch for its utility as I haven't really used it. You could perhaps find out about munches in your area (which is the kind of event I would recommend to newcomers who want to dip their toes in-person) via a google search. Or a site like FetLife (Warning: this site can be very intense and scary to newcomers, so probably stay away from it for now if you're meek of heart, or just cover your eyes and head to the events section there and search for munches near your zip code). If possible, attend the event with a friend. I would highly recommend attending your first non-vanilla kink event with a friend--it's probably as safe to attend a munch as it is to just attend a bar. But actual kink events are a different animal.

And, lastly, don't get overwhelmed or be afraid to step back if you do. One step at a time. Keep a cool and responsible head on your shoulders and all should be well.

Literate Lycan​(dom male) - Welcome. You're doing great so far. Great advice from all the above. I especially concur with Kiev and of course fluffypoppet on two major points:
1. Engage with the community. Chat with different individuals. Read profiles, read blogs and see how individuals present themselves to find those you feel comfortable chatting with (both submissive and Dominant) - without any expectation other than friendship and learning. And build the friendships first while you're learning. Find individuals you can trust who can offer advice or information. That's the strength of community.
2. As fluffypoppet points out, learn yourself. And as the great Clint Eastwood says, "A man's got to know his limitations." As you progress and learn more, you'll find your tastes will change. Be open to some changes, but make sure they are yours.

Allow yourself to progress slowly. Take your time. If you think you're going too slow . . . slow down a little more. Too many jump in too deep too early. If you take time to learn you'll enjoy the experience more. And Heero has a great closing comment: Don't be concerned if you are overwhelmed and need to step back. It's not a race, it's an adventure, so no need to rush.

Oh, and as pointed out above, you'll probably be inundated in your inbox by a plethora of individuals. You don't have to respond to them all. Or any of them. You can be discerning and choosy.

All the best!

Six Foot Four - What the previous posters are talking about is the wise way to do it. You asked if anyone wanted to share their story, and you inspired a blog about how I got started and my partner got started and how we got started. She was a younger-than-you virgin, and while I wouldn't recommend doing what she did, I've very glad she did.

I encouraged her to explore; I have no idea which online communities she joined. IRL, she met a bunch of folks and didn’t appreciate that they kept trying to fuck her. There was one particularly memorable guy and his “puppet;” they kept trying to get her into a threesome. There was also a ‘mistress’ who brought up that s had no idea what she liked outside our relationship and thus should come with said ‘mistress’ to a dungeon and let the individual in question do a bunch of stuff to her in the name of exploration. My partner was very unimpressed by the community and remains so to this day. I used to be involved, but I would rather be with her so we don’t really participate. Hopefully your experiences are better than hers.

Go slow, figure out who you are and what you want out of BDSM, and make your choices to reflect that. Good luck!