Well, what level are you? I found during the first 2 months on this server when I went through a series of subjobs that the old adage of 'you get your first taste of grouping at 9-10' no longer held true. These levels still go by fast enough soloing (or duoing) EP and DCs that many people aren't partying in those levels. In fact, due to the fact that jobs that *can* solo well at this level (people who can take hits - people who can dish out damage) tend to solo - this leaves you with a general mixture of undesirables at the 9-12 range. I'd say starting from 13 or so the invite rates at Valkrum isn't bad, and never really had a problem from 19+ at Qufim, 24+ at Khazam, etc.
I agree with the 'solo while you seek' except in my case it was 'craft in town while you seek' to make a little bit of extra Gil. However, the single biggest thing I felt that helped me with my low level xping was to be aware of the dynamics of 'whether it was reliastic that I was going to be getting an invite/party soon'. If I was level 10 I made a habit of /sea all 9-11. If I find several people LFG, I start messaging them and invite them to form up a party. If I see no one seeking and 3-4 people in Valk Dunes or what not with their name in light yellow (party leader) - then I put my flag up and start heading for the Dunes and usually by the time I'm there I get an invite because there are lots of parties and very few people seeking. You can usually gauge how likely you're going to get an invite within the next 10-15 minutes by surveying either /sea all Valkrum (or whatever the zone is that you're looking to go) or /sea all 'Your Level + or - 1'. Then you can plan accordingly.
Lastly, it helps to advertise yourself a little in the search comments. What's your xp TNL. Whether you have {Outpost} {Warp} to {Valkrum Dunes}, etc. If you just started out you already have a large bias of low rank against you, no need to put yourself even lower on the invite totem-pole by not having any search comments. I know if all else is equal, I take the player that has good information in the search comments.
My experience in the last 2 1/2 months on this server is groups are a-plenty across all levels. I kept hearing that invites dry up 37+, but from 37-60 I have seen plenty of people LFG. Yesterday while leveling a job in the 10-12 range, I found a bunch of people LFG at that level. It helps if you're seeking during a time when there's a lot of players playing too. Good luck - I hope some of this information helped. I think the lowbie scene on our server is alive and kicking. See you out there.
~Tanshui
