okay so i just got my general last month and ive been making contacts pretty regularly, mostly on 40m SSB and a bit of FT8. people keep asking me to confirm on LoTW and eQSL and also sending me paper QSL cards through the bureau and im honestly a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out how all this works together.

like i get the basic concept, you confirm the contact happened so you can count it toward awards and stuff. but do i actually need to be on ALL of these? i signed up for LoTW already and uploaded a couple logs but havent done eQSL yet. and i have no idea how the bureau even works, do i need to go through my local club for that or what. one guy i worked sent me a card directly by mail which was really cool actually but i dont know if i need to send one back or how to even get cards made.

sorry if this is a really basic question, just trying to figure out what the "normal" thing to do is i guess

No need to apologize, everyone goes through this exact same confusion at first. Short answer is you dont have to be on all of them, but each one has its purpose so its worth understanding what youre getting into.

LoTW is the big one for ARRL awards like DXCC and WAS, pretty much any serious DX chaser or contester will expect you to be on there. eQSL is kind of its own thing, some people swear by it and some ignore it completely — it counts for a few different awards but its not universally accepted the way LoTW is. For FT8 in particular a lot of people upload to both automatically through WSJT-X and the logging software so its not much extra work once you set it up.

The bureau is basically a slow cheap way to exchange paper cards internationally. Your national organization (ARRL if youre in the US) handles it and your local club can sometimes help too. It can take months or even over a year for cards to move through the system so dont expect anything fast. If someone mails you a card directly yeah its nice to send one back, just basic courtesy. You can get cards made pretty cheaply from a few places online, vista print or some of the ham-specific printers. Doesnt have to be fancy when youre just starting out.

honestly i was in the same boat not too long ago and what i ended up doing was just focusing on LoTW first since thats what most people i worked were using. got the certificate sorted, downloaded tqsl, and just started uploading my logs after each session. took a little while to get the hang of it but its pretty straightforward once you do it a few times.

the paper card thing is kind of a whole separate rabbit hole lol. i ordered some basic cards from one of the online places and yeah its a nice feeling to get them in the mail and send them out. some of the older operators really appreciate getting a physical card. but if youre doing a lot of FT8 and digital modes most people just do LoTW and dont worry about paper at all. totally up to you how deep you want to go with it