Good idea of the week: The Freshman 15

Just read an awesome article in the Washington Post with 15 tips for newcomers to DC.

I'll let you read the full article, but here are the tips in a nutshell - anyone who knows DC will "get" these immediately - but if you don't know, how would you know?

1. Stand to the right.

2. Recognize that the Nats are a major league team.

3. Don't dance at indie-rock shows.

4. Maintain residency in your home state (if your new home is in the District). Especially if you're from a swing state.

5. Forget the fake ID. The District is where fake IDs go to die.

6. Remember that the Metro shuts down at 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

7. That police car is probably not pulling you over.

8. Yield to cars in traffic circles.

9. Better yet: Ride the bus.

10. Even better: Walk.

11. There is no J Street.

12. NoMa is a neighborhood.

13. Take your palate global.

14. Sample go-go.

15. Get the tourist stuff out of the way now.

What if you had tips like these for your incoming "freshmen" class of new members? Not just your standard welcome packet, but a quick, informal list of things to help them break the code. As we know, every organization has a code, a way of doing things. You have to see the code to break it. An easy way to welcome newbies into your community.