Newbie from Canada.
Hoping to develop something with PHP.
Experienced with ASP.NET, XHTML, CSS, etc.

Is there a place somwhere here to test posts (e.g. to test posting links, test sigs, etc.)?

Welcome to the site :)

Is there a place somwhere here to test posts (e.g. to test posting links, test sigs, etc.)?
Welcome. No there isn't a place to test links and sigs, in fact, there are some conditions to be met before you can actually post a link. All explained neatly in the rules. http://www.webhostingtalk.com/rules.php

Yes you can test signatures and posts.

Use the preview button ;)