Hello everyone, I am new to the game. I'm not to familiar with the game yet, but so far it seems like it's going to be a lot of fun. Any hints or tips that anyone can share would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, welcome

talk to some of the active players in your server, most of us are friendly, odds are if you message a few you'll get a decent response from at least one.
try and find a decent alliance as well, it means there are more people around to answer silly questions

other than that, fleetsaving is the last key part to worry about, there are a few guides around. the key idea is hiding your fleet from other players except when you are able to be online. sending your fleet on a mission not including a moon will make it detectable via phalanx. Even then, moons can be destroyed, however this is not something you should worry about until you become a mid-sized player, ask around to find out what the current 'safe' sized moon is.

but most of all, have fun

Agreed with Athight, which server are you on?

Massacre