[Jbudman]

This tutorial is for anyone who is a n00b to the forums, that might be looking for some guidance on where to start.


First things first!
-----------------------
Read the rules!
This is the most important step of all!
I've never heard of anyone who died by spending 5 minutes of their time to read some boring rules, so nobody has an excuse to not read the forum rules.
To view the Forum Rules simply click THIS link.

Donating:
If you've joined the site, and have decided that you like what we have to offer, then it's about time you donate!
Donating is very simple, and once you donate you will have access to the "Premium Forums" where you will find free programs, and free lobbies (When a free lobby is being hosted). There are also many other benefits to becoming an "Exclusive Member", such as the cool purple name you get! To learn more about how to donate, and what it offers, check THIS thread out.

Setting up a signature:
So now that you've (hopefully) donated, it's time you set yourself up with a sweet signature!
For those of you who don't know what a signature is, it's the Picture/Text that shows up at the bottom of all your posts. Having an awesome signature is one of the most important parts of being an active member in a forum (Not as important as DONATING though!)
First you need to go to the top of the forum and click the User CP link:



Once your in the User CP, click the Edit Signature link which is located on the left side of the User CP:



Once you click that link, you will be directed to a page with something that looks like this:



This is where you will enter the text that you want to show up in your signature. You can format your text by using the text formatting options in the Signature Editor.
You can also add images to your signature one of two ways:
The first way is to upload the image you want to use to a website like "Photobucket" or "TinyPic".
Once you upload the image to one of those websites, you will be presented with some different codes. You are interested in using the code labeled as "Forum Code", "IMG Code" or "BB Code". Just copy and paste that code into the Signature Editor and voila!
The second way is to use the Signature up-loader, which is located directly below the Signature Editor:



Just keep in mind that when using the signature uploader, you have a limit on how large the image can be (400 by 200 pixels or 253.9 KB [whichever is smaller])

If your not Photoshop savvy, have no fear! We have a whole section just for people like you who are interested in having a custom signature made for them!
To visit the GFX Requests section, click THIS link.
Once you are satisfied with your signature, simply click the Save Signature button to have your finished product published to the forums.

Setting up an avatar:
Now that you've got a sweet ass signature to show off, it's time to set yourself up with a sweet ass avatar!
First, go to the User CP like I showed you earlier in this tutorial.
Once your in the User CP, click the Edit Avatar link, which is located right above the Edit Signature link:



You will then be presented with a page that looks like this:



Make sure to select "Use Custom Avatar"
Now just browse for the image you want to use as your avatar, and click the "Save Changes" button when you are ready to publish your awesome new avatar to the forums!
Also take note that your avatar has to be less than or equal to the size limit (150 by 150 pixels or 19.5 KB [whichever is smaller]) to be able to successfully upload and use it as your avatar.

Introduce yourself:
Now that you have set yourself up with a signature, and an avatar, it's time for you to introduce yourself to the community! We aren't looking for your life story (if you feel inclined to share it, go for it!), just tell us a little bit about yourself such as hobbies, favorite games,music etc. Also, feel free to post your Gamertag if you would like to play online with other IGZ members.
To post an introduction thread, click THIS link, and then click the "New Thread" button.


Now that your account is fully set up, start posting!

-Jbudman

[James]

Good **** Jbud, stuck.

[Angel]

thanks for posting this... this can prevent a lot of unneded Questions

[Grim]

Thanks for taking the time to do all this bro

[Paradox]

Simply amazing, it's worded great and just downright awesome, thanks for putting this together Jbud. Now we can link this to people constantly! >:]

[Twis7eD]

Very sexy. Thanks for taking the time to make this. This will help those n00bs that have never used vB before.

[Jbudman]

Originally Posted by Horizon

Simply amazing, it's worded great and just downright awesome, thanks for putting this together Jbud. Now we can link this to people constantly! >:]

My plan exactly. I'm sure there is some stuff that I left out that I will add later on when I think of them. If anyone has any ideas on what I might have missed, let me know so I can update the thread.

[Waffle]

Thanks, now everyone knows what to do when they register, and not just leech

[Jbudman]

Originally Posted by WaFFle

Thanks, now everyone knows what to do when they register, and not just leech

Yepp, hopefully people actually use this thread.