<i>I think the rails community, in general, is rather unapproachable from the outside.</i><p>I might not have phrased it that way.  The community is very open about helping new developers.<p>However.<p>The documentation covers the mechanics of using Rails but you have to know what you're looking for to find anything.  Most of the best information is in blog posts or presentations, has a shelf life of 6 to 8 months, and the only semi-reliable way to access it is Google.