Gordon,
A word from another struggling newbie. Commisso had a real good point about signing on with a chat room.
They will have some proven trading ideas, saving you from chasing all about looking for what/when to trade. They have scanners, filters, news feeds etc, that you won't have. And if you did, you still would be lost anyway.
Let the experienced pros point out the trades, all you have to do is manage your part, get in, get out, wait for the next one. Win some, lose some, and a few get rained out. But you don't have to break your head trying to figure a system. And, in general, you will wind up with more winners than losers. And you can see a lot just by observing.
You do however still have to manage YOURSELF. I have been in 3 pretty decent chatrooms over the last 2 1/2 years. I can say with some assurance that if I had blindly followed the called out trades, I would be much money ahead.
I am still conquering the biggest demon in the market... MYSELF.
As always, be selective. I can wholeheartedly endorse Realitytrader.com and Simplertrading.com. There are others, some have been slammed pretty good around here, possibly with good reason. I am sure there is at least one good one I don't know about.
If you can't get a one to one mentor who really knows their stuff, then a "good" chatroom is the next best thing.
Quit fighting the battle alone. It is very difficult to learn this business, especially doing it without proper guidance.
Good luck,