I think many if not most of us (especially those of us who are a bit older) start out a bit unsure of how to be a part of the Psych Central community. (By the way, this is actually my second time around here on PC.)

You wrote that you start to wonder if you're doing something right or wrong & you're not sure how to connect. I don't know as there is any particular way to be here on PC. To some extent it's a matter of figuring out what works for you. What I sometimes write in replies to new members' posts (which are mostly what I reply to) is that it's important to post your own threads from time-to-time. (It is possible for one to overdo this though, I think. Occasionally a new member will start right off posting lots of their own threads & when they don't receive a lot of replies they get discouraged & leave.)

What's even more important though, I think, is to reply to as many threads posted by other members as you have time for & can in some way relate to. And, of course, it's important to always try to be as supportive as possible. It is important, I think, to keep in mind that "conversing" on a forum such as PC is different than having a face-to-face conversation because none of the visual cues that are available face-to-face are available in an on-line forum. So misunderstandings sometimes can-&-do occur. (You probably didn't need me to tell you that. But... you know... just for the record as the saying goes.)

You asked about hugging. It seems like most members like to receive hugs. But I've read posts too where individual members wrote that they prefer not to be hugged. Personally I tend to use the "Thanks" icon for the most part & reserve the "Hugs" icon for members I feel I've developed at least some sort of relationship with here on PC.

You also asked about Social Groups. I personally don't belong to any social groups. (I'm a pretty solitary old buzzard.) My impression, though is that not many of the Social Groups are very active. The only one that seems to be quite active is the Current Political Issues social group. That one seems to be very active. A few others show up from time-to-time in the forums. But, at least from my personal perspective, the social groups don't seem to be a particularly important part of the PC community at this point in time. (Perhaps other PC members will have differing perspectives.)

One thing you didn't mention is "Chat". If you click on the "Calendar" in the banner at the top of the page, it will take you to a screen where you can see what chats are scheduled to occur along with other events of note. Here again, I personally don't "chat". So I don't have a lot of first-hand knowledge regarding that.

To sum up, at least from my personal perspective, what's important here on PC is simply to be as active as possible in whatever ways suits your personal needs & desires. PC is a large community. And things tend to move quickly. Too often, I think, new members dive in, don't get the recognition they expect & then become discouraged & leave. One simply has to find one's niche & keep on pluggin', so to speak. Sooner or later you'll become an important part of the Psych Central community, if that's your goal. Good luck!