I'm old fan of Freelancer and I uploaded it with the discovery mod about a week ago. I've been playing some on another server and this one trying to get a hold of how to start from scratch. I've dug through the forums and am looking for a novice friendly group to join. I like RPing and right now prefer to do something Liberty side.
Flying around Liberty (or anywhere you want) will introduce you to lots of players and factions, you can decide if you want to join any after a while.
If you want to be a Freelancer (on any character), the Concourse seem quite friendly, especially to new players. If you are interested in making some money around Liberty, a couple of friends and I have set up a little mining group you are welcome to join as well.