Which side?

[Cuniculus]

To cut to the chase: I play with rather short nails because I take martial arts and find that I can hurt myself if they're too long (they stick up about a millimeter or so). Yes, sounds lame, but that's the long and short of it (ha ha). I've been reassured by other posts on this forum that short nails are entirely okay, but I've long been confused as to what part of the nail I should use (I've never had formal training). Is it better to use the left side of the nail or the front side? Thanks!

[LVR]

Most people shape their nails so that there is a ramp starting at the " left" side of the nail and slanting up to the "right" side. (That's not anatomically accurate but we both know what we mean.) The string contacts the nail/skin junction and slides up the ramp to the release. If you are serious about guitar, you may want to check out either a method book like Aaron Shearer, or Pumping Nylon, which will explain about nail shapes, hand position, finger strokes, etc. It seems pretty clear from your comment about long-term confusion that you are learning guitar in isolated circumstances, which can be very hard. Give yourself a break and get some authoritative info, and good luck; have fun.