newbie
     n : any new participant in some activity [syn: {newcomer}, {fledgling},
          {fledgeling}, {starter}, {neophyte}, {freshman}, {entrant}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0

newbie /n[y]oo'bee/ n. [very common; orig. from British public-school
   and military slang variant of `new boy'] A Usenet neophyte. This term
   surfaced in the {newsgroup} talk.bizarre but is now in wide use (the
   combination "clueless newbie" is especially common). Criteria for being
   considered a newbie vary wildly; a person can be called a newbie in one
   newsgroup while remaining a respected regular in another. The label
   `newbie' is sometimes applied as a serious insult to a person who has
   been around Usenet for a long time but who carefully hides all evidence
   of having a clue. See {B1FF}; see also {gnubie}.


Source: The Jargon File