Website and IRC Forum
Your local user group, or the Linux distribution you're using may be advertising their web forum or IRC channel with newbie help (in some non-English-speaking countries, the newbie forums are probably still mailing lists), and these are good places to start asking questions, especially if you think you've encountered a relatively simple or common problem. Ad-sponsored IRC channels are places where questions are openly welcome and usually get an instant response.
Newbie questions to user support channels first
User groups, distribution forums, web forums, and IRC channels are often better suited for getting started than developer mailing lists. People there are more familiar with common installations, configurations, environment differences, and usage myths, and are more willing to deal with "I'm just getting started" questions.
Ask the distro community first for distro questions
In fact, if the problem with the program only occurs with the version provided by a particular Linux distribution (which is quite common), it's best to ask the question on that distribution's forum or mailing list before going to the program's own forum or mailing list. (Otherwise) the hacker of the program may simply reply "use our version".
Distributions often modify compilation options, patches, default configurations, and dependency versions. Upstream projects are not always aware of these differences, so it is often more efficient to ask the distribution community first.
Search inside the forum before asking a question
Before posting in any forum, check to see if there is a search function. If it does, try searching for a few keywords for the question, maybe that will help. If you've already done a generic web search before this (and you should), search the forum again anyway, chances are the search engines haven't had time to index the entire contents of this forum.
Searching within the forums can reveal discussions that the search engines haven't picked up yet, or that are blocked by login access. Searching first will also give you an idea of how this community likes to describe issues.
Choose between synchronous or asynchronous channels
There is a growing trend to provide user support services through forums or IRC channels, with email mostly reserved for communication between project developers. So it is best to start by seeking assistance related to the project in the forums or IRC.
When using IRC, it's best to start by not posting a very long description of the problem, which some people call channel flooding. It's best to start the chat with a one sentence description of the question.
IRC is better suited for quick clarifications and short interactions; forums are better suited for long questions, logs, code, and follow-up summaries. When choosing a channel, think about whether your question requires instant dialog or searchable, sinkable long text.