![stackoverflow logo is made of people diagram](https://duncanlock.net/images/posts/the-smart-guide-to-stack-overflow-zero-to-hero/stackoverflow-logo-is-made-of-people-diagram.png)
Seemingly like everything else in the world, Stack Overflow is getting more & more competitive as time passes. Gaining a good reputation - and even finding good questions to answer - is becoming harder and harder, as more and more people compete for less and less unanswered questions.
This is fantastic if you want to find an answer - but makes it much harder for newcomers to get started and build a reputation on the site.
This guide will help you jump-start your reputation on StackOverflow and help you get more out of the site.
How to find questions you can answer
Ignored & Favourite Tags
![Screenshot of part of my (very long) ignored tags list from Stack Overflow](https://duncanlock.net/images/posts/the-smart-guide-to-stack-overflow-zero-to-hero/stack-overflow-ignored-tags.png)
Use the no answers page, the …