I had the idea to create a handy guide to what goes on here at GI Online for awhile, but I never had the drive to do so. After SeaCadetWall joined, and asked me personally to make the guide, I accepted her request, and here it is. So give a big thanks everyone give thanks to Sea for motivating me!

So, yes, this is JordanTheGamer speaking here, and yes, this is a guide. I'm not trying to replace the stuff that's already on here, but rather, this is my own guide and has plenty of things that are helpful. If there are question, comments, or suggestions you may have, fell free to drop them in the comments box. Thanks!

Now, on with the show!

Welcome!

Welcome to GI Online! Which is, if you haven't noticed, the online site for the gaming magazine Game Informer. So before you jump into things, I suggest you hole on a second and allow me to teach the basics, and you'll be joining the rest of us on what we truly call home!

Step 1: The Avatar Creation Unit And Hero Pager.

First of all, when you first get into Game Informer user after it has been created, you should notice that there's an Avatar thing next to your user name, and a Hero Page which is sort of like a wallpaper. From the start, the avatar us the "G" of Game Informer magazine, and the hero image is set to whatever the cover is. (Currently, it's Grand Theft Auto 5.)

So, how do you exactly change this? If your signed in, on the right corner of your avatar and hero page, there should be a pencil. Click it, and then it will show you to pick a file (image.) from your computer. So, at this rate, you have to download an image. (If you don't know how to do that, right-click it, Save As..., and then put somewhere in your computer you'll find it.)

Some suggestions for an avatar is a buddy icon, (if they exist any more.), a custom made logo you made, and/or a image from the internet. As for wallpaper. I suggest either a screenshot, or an actual wallpaper that is big yet small enough for the hero image. Keep in mind, the limit of the size of the hero image is 660 pixels wide.

So, pick something that describes you. I have a custom built logo for my icon, and soon I will have a futuristic wallpaper for my hero page as of the time of this writing.

Step 2: Bio And Other Info.

Now that you have images that represent you, we need to know a little more about you! Start off by filling in if you are a subscriber and a Power-Up Rewards member. I will explain these two items in a later step.

Now then, there's location, birthday, and gender. I don't recommend giving out your location, as it could cause multiple security hazards, as internet security is a big issue right now. As for your birthday, that's up to you. I don't want to give out mine, as I'm not totally cool with people knowing my age because if it. If you are alright with that, than go right ahead really. Also, we would want to know if you Male/Female.

Alright, now, you FINALLY get to edit the actual Bio itself, and there's a whole bunch of tools at your disposal. I will explain all the tools once we get to forum/blog writing, but for now, just keep it simple and just tell us who and what you are by writing in text by your keyboard. After you learned the tools, you can come back and edit as you please.

Now, after you filled up a good amount of your Bio, there is whole bunch of more info to fill out. These range from where you work, personal likes, and more. The location rule applies here folks, if your not comfortable sharing with the public, best just leave it blank. When your more comfortable, you can always go back and edit the Bio later if you wish.

Step 2.5: Power-Up Rewards Pro.

Before we get to step 3, now that you have two major things packed and done, let me explain the whole "Power-Up Rewards" thing. You see, I first started out on Game Informer with this, and it did get me most nearly destroyed, but that's a story for another day.

So, what it is is a membership deal. You could usually get it on Game Stop. (Note: GI is owned by Game Stop, and hence why this is so.) It boots you up to exclusive stuff, points for games you buy, and much more. But the real thing is the subscription to the magazine, and if you do it digitally or not is totally up to you.

But here's the best part: If you enter the code (It shows a little image on how to do this.) where provided in "Hidden Info." It allows you to enjoy exclusive content, and plus your Blogs get shown along with everyone else on the spot, which would take you up to level 5 to do so.

So is it worth it? The answer is a yes, though you might wanna go without it for awhile to improve you general skills. Once you think you got, run out and get it, enter the stuff, and there you go.

Step 3: Commenting.

The most easy thing to do here on GI, is to, well, comment! How and where can you comment? Well, you can comments on stuff written by the GI Staff on the main page, comments on other user blogs, comments on forum posts, (Noticed: There called replies here, and they have a signature on it, which an GIF, Image, or video that can be done using the "settings" tab on the very top of your screen.) So basically, you can write what you thought about it, weigh in your thoughts, or anything else. Though keep in mind the following:

1: No stupid "first" comments, or anything stupid like that. We're all smart and logical users here.

2: If your comments are paragraphs, make sure that you break those up. We don't want any walls of text. They hurt our eyes!

3: Don't be a jerk. Period.

Now, with those rules and stuff I just explained to you, go comment at your leisure! And did you know your earn points all while doing it? For more info, I strongly suggest you go check out the page that your brought to when you click the "learn more about our points system" under "Stats."

See you on Monday with more!

JTG.

I'll see here on Sunday with more classified information.

Agent Jordan.