I'm a home contributor to BOINC, and I don't know anyone else participating. I could really use a simple one-page overview of BOINC and BAM. The forum and other info assumes a basic understanding, but I don't see where you get that basic understanding. Why join a team? what good are credits? why use BAM? what is a host (is that my computer hosting the algorithm, or the boinc computer hosting me?) How can I tell if this is working? Why are there multiple places to set my computing preferences, and do these methods counteract each other? What is a retired project? What projects need my computer time the most? Is there anyone anywhere that I can actually speak to???

One page to help newcomers get oriented would be great.

Welcome to BOINC! This site (boincstats.com) is mainly about the statistic part of BOINC: all credits you earned in the various BOINC-projects presented in tables and graphs.
To read more about BOINCstats: Read the FAQ / New here page at boincstats.com
To read more about BAM!: Read the BAM!-page at boincstats.com
To read more about BOINC: Try the Wiki-page at the main BOINC-site boinc.berkeley.edu