I totally know what you mean about The Smog being intimidating. I'm not sure what it is, but it just seems like this huge ordeal when in reality The Smog staff is one of the nicest groups of people I've had the pleasure to work with. Well, at least this was the case when
sandshrewz and
jumpluff were around (they're the ones I interacted with the most and were incredibly helpful when I was just getting started), but I'm sure skylight and Flora have been doing great. :) Anyways, if you want to have a chat about getting into The Smog, PM me sometime on IRC and we can brainstorm some ideas for articles!
As for your actual question, it's really up to you. I know that's not the most helpful answer, but it's the truth. When I got started on Smogon, I knew I liked NU from experience on PO, so it was easy to just sort of jump into that community (plus everyone was super nice, even if I'd had limited interactions with the staff for the longest time ~_~). For you, just think about what you want to get out of Smogon. There's pretty much something for everybody, whether you're into art (Smeargle's Studio), writing (The Smog and C&C), in-game stuff (Wi-Fi and Orange Islands), a certain metagame (Competitive Discussion), or even just hanging out with other people (IRC/PS!). When I started on the site, I tested the waters and did a lot of stuff to see what I liked. Some of that stuff I'm still involved in (a lot of it tbh), but some of it just wasn't a good fit. I definitely recommend newer users to do the same. Get a feel for anything you think you might like. Even if you don't like it, you'll get to meet new people!