Q: What is this by my name that says Newbie and has 1 square?

A: Those are ranks/titles. It has nothing to with how long you have been on SB. It has to do with how many posts you have made on this board.

Below is a current breakdown of titles/rankings:

Title - Min Posts - Rank (the little squares you see)
Newbie - 0 - 1
Junior Member - 10 - 2
Senior Member - 100 - 3