I am currently downloading World of Warcraft, a game that I have never played before. Let me repeat that, a game that I have NEVER PLAYED BEFORE. I have to be one of the few that has escaped its clutches, but I digress. I am not a big MMO fan, having only ever played LOTRO when it went F2P and Champions Online when it also went free to play. I had a pretty decent time with LOTRO but thought Champions was kind of boring. I love RPGs, especially ones that have stories, so does this game have one, or is it the carrot-on-a-stick mentality that keeps people playing? Will I be able to pick up the game fairly easy? And how are other players to new, inexperienced users?

Thanks Guys

Not much story, players HATE beginners and the game is easy to play, but can be somewhat hard getting into all terms and stuff (You need to know this to not be a ¨noob¨) . 

WoW has a very extensive and detailed tutorial system in place for new users. The game assumes you have no idea how video games even work and explains pretty much everything to you. Entire starting areas are engineered to teach you how to operate the most basic of mechanics and how to interact with the game world. 
 
This game does have a story and is better than most MMOs when it comes to telling it. A great example of this is the main plot line in Westfall, the second human area. I suggest that you make a human character first, because Elwynn Forest is the best newbie zone in my opinion. Do Elwynn, and move on to Westfall when you get the quest sending you there. Once you complete Westfall use the dungeon finder tool to queue for Deadmines. You can do Deadmines before that, but the game assumes you have already seen all the events in Westfall unfold.

-There´s a lot of story for you in it if you take the time to read everything. 
-You will pick up the game very easily, just start out with a character that you really enjoy playing, cause at this point all classes can solo and group perfectly fine (although some might be a bit trickier than others).
-In my experience the WoW community is not too hard on newcomers, although people don´t usually enjoy others screwing up their dungeons. You will surely find a group of people able and willing to guide you through the stuff you dont know. 
 
If you have never played it before you will probably enjoy it for a while, but it gets old fast in my opinion.

There is a HUGE story in WoW. Its just spread out because the game is so large. If you are a person that can get into lore and things then WoW can be very rewarding from that angle. It will not scratch the typical rpg story itch however.  
 
WoW is very user friendly, you will pick it up with ease. Be weary however of the unhelpful "pros", they wont like you if you do anything they think is annoying. Dont let that discourage you though. WoW is not at fault, its the unwashed masses with an ego complex behind a pc.  
 
WoW is the most solid MMO out there, give it a try and find out for yourself if its worth playing. 

Tons and tons and tons of story and lore. All the quests have been revamped making it a great time to start.

World of Warcraft is the continuation of one of my favorite stories to date. I have read every novel to come out about the franchise and cannot wait for the new one in the fall. You will find that WoW is the most solid MMO experience you can have but you will also find, like any other MMO out there on the planet, that it caters to the "carrot on a stick."

I never understood peoples problem with this, as in real life, this mentality is what drives us forward. You work in order to pay bills and do fun things, that is the same motivation that WoW gives you. Keep moving forward in updated content and enjoy yourself, sounds fine to me.

If you like great content, accessibility, customization, tons of easter eggs and loot, and a really well thought out story, then WoW is for you. Enjoy.

(Just as a reference, I played WoW since the beta up until 3 months ago when I switched over to RIFT.)