This is a "lead the new players by the nose" suggestion - but I've anwered four different new players in one week RE how to mine. When they go into the mine on New Tris for their first mining/smelting quest, new players are trying to click on the rocks near the entrance rather than the ore nodes further in.
Is it possible to either remove the "rock" objects at the entrance to the mine, or make the ore nodes "sparkly" or something distinctive? Just needs to be the T1 ore nodes, after that people should be OK...