Im pretty new to torrenting in general (have only ever downloaded few things from public trackers) and i want to maintain a good ratio. I have just downloaded one torrent which downloaded fine but i noticed that it wont seed. I read that uploading will only ever happen when someone else is trying to download the same torrent and the client is active. Does this mean that i remain a leecher on this torrent / will i have a negative ratio until someone else downloads the torrent and i have my client active? And if so should i stay away from downloading older torrents that not many people will download?

Sorry for the stupid question im sure this is simple stuff

Yep that's correct. your ratio is simply uploaded:downloaded. Look for the freeleech torrents in the forum to build up a good ratio because downloads aren't counted and uploads will add to your ratio.
Newer torrents will also usually seed better.

thanks for clearing that up

Thx arvo for helping out a fellow member!

tdxffy, check out this post from the guides forum

Seeding, ratio, private tracker... how does it work?

for more information.