1st timer thing?
I'm guessing, anyway. It's getting closer and CLOSER to the con. I can feel the knot in my stomach growing with each passing day. Anyone else feeling like this? Or is it just me? @.@ I'm excited to go, but still kind of nervous.
I'm hoping to meet some of you, and hopefully leave a good impression ^.^;
Though to be honest I probably see myself more in the table top or video gaming room for most of the con. v.v; Can't deny the nerd/geekdom within.
Anyone have any good suggestions to help cope with a slight phobia of large groups and large groups of people you don't know? ._.;
The last thing I want is for me to ruin my own experience.
Well it's a relief that there won't constantly be huge crowds. ^.^;
Volunteering for an organization headed by a mad scientist, who loves his wine, with the other members winking at me about volunteering, telling me you'll send me "somewhere" .... makes me wonder what happens to some of the other volunteers >.> Perhaps some of them go "missing"!? Poor little Tim-Tim... you will be missed.
*cackles* Oh, no, it's much worse than going missing; some of them become staff. 
Seriously, volunteering is just how i met the brunt of my AC friends; i showed up, they sent me to the art show (they send a lot of people to the art show). I'm not someone who makes friends at all easily; even at fur parties, i make an excellent wallflower. When i'm working, however, the work gives me a small group of people to interact with and a specific context in which to interact with them, so i actually don't find it hard to connect with folks at all. At the end, i even found that i could keep working with the same area by asking one of the staff if they knew when next they would need a helping hand.
All you have to do is stick your nose in at ops and say the magic words: "Does anyone need help?" They'll know where you're needed and fix you up with a pretty new volunteer ribbon and a form for tracking your hours. Just don't forget to bring your registration badge. 
As for the rest of the con...well, one step at a time. Just remember that if you make even one friend while you're away with us, that's one more than you had before.
My best advice is to organize your itinerary early (maximum fun achieved!) and go to a panel early on. I recommend the Pre-Con Mixer for starters. Once you get your little pocket schedule, I've found it useful to make little tick marks on the things you want to go to. And set your cell phone alarm for 15 minutes prior to those events if you can; it's *very* easy to lose track of time at a big con like this one.
http://www.anthrocon.org/schedule
The setting for panels is a lot more laid back than a room full of furs doing things. I've heard nothing but good things about Uncle Kage's "So This is Your First AnthroCon?" session. This year it's in the Westmoreland room, Friday, 1pm.
To loosen up, check out the dances, or cruise the dealer's room. If you're into art commissions or want a custom con badge, make sure you do all that on Day One: by Saturday, nearly all artists are up to their ears in commissions. For me, a highlight of the con is Uncle Kage's Story Hour. The line begins half an hour before the time of the event. Get there early!
And take some time to smile and relax; you'll be surrounded by furs who are like you, and some who aren't, too. Furspotting is fun!
In a few years now, I've had a universally pleasant experience at AnthroCon. My biggest con going mistakes were that I never planned well enough. It's like an amusement park where most rides are only open for one hour. So go see the people who are interested in the same things you are, and enjoy AnthroCon to its fullest.
Just as a counterpoint to this, you can also completely enjoy the con without attending any scheduled events so don't feel obligated to schedule out your whole day or worry too much that you're missing something if you decide to skip a panel. Don't schedule yourself to the point of being stressed getting point A to point B - there's a lot of awesome moments that take place spontaneously throughout the con space.
I've gone to every anthrocon since 2004 and with the exception of one panel I was helping run last year, I have never attended a panel. Ever. I do the dances at night and laze around and socialize during the day, and it's awesome. You can have a -great- con with the sole aim of meeting folks, as well.
I'm not saying don't attend panels, just don't stress about them or overextend yourself schedule-wise. Give yourself downtime. :]
If you start to feel a little overwhelmed, just wander down the hall and find a quiet corner and look out the amazing windows and admire the view of the river below. Its an amazing sight and offers tranquility. You can also take the elevator to the roof and enjoy the space up there.. its a very nice patio.
There are many nice quiet areas to sit and relax a while and let the overwhelm pass
Thank you everyone, for the advice! I sadly realized that my mp3 player is packed away from my recent move so trying to find a place to be away from the crowds and noise is a necessity at this point! Now to get ready to begin my journey at 3 in the morning I'm totally ready to get lost in Logan Airport >.<
Anthrocon will pass me like a breeze.
Best way to get to know people is to volunteer. Head to con ops and ask them "do you have anything that I can do?" We'll send you somewhere.
Crowds really aren't that bad at AC. You'll find that there are places in the convention centre and the hotel will disperse at different times of the day.