Welcome. I see the first thing you did correctly in my opinion is make your link open in another window. Good for you. You are not the beginner you claim to be.
I too am a baby boomer but a little more technical orientated. Don't put a lot of personal stuff out on the Internet. Any writing you do, write as if it were an article. That should keep you safe.
There are all sorts of forums available to us modelers. Explore YahooGroups as well. Google is also your friend, as are other search sites. I like Dogpile.
Above all, have FUN.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
I am new both to model railroading and to social media. Both are exciting and both present a learning curve. Model railroading I know I will enjoy because of my fond memories of being a kid many years ago playing with my Tyco trains on a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Thanks to the Internet, forums like this, books, and magazines like Model Railroader there is an abundance of structured information available to make climbing the model railroading learning curve a relatively straightforward process. Social media, not so much.
Being from the Baby Boomer generation it does not come natural for me to write my life experiences for all the world to see. However, at the insistence of a good friend (and much younger Gen Y) I created my first ever online presence - a blog about my new hobby Model Railroading. The forum rules say I am allowed to put it in a post so here it is LK&O Railroad.
I hope you visit and welcome any feedback you may have about either the blog or my railroad plans. Keep in mind I am a newbie so be gentle.
Alan
Freelancing the LK&O Railroad