The TGZ Newbie Guide!, All newbies read if you're unsure.

What is this? No, it's not a replacement for the rules, it's the newbies guide! This will teach you everything you need to know about the forums and how to use them.

THE BASICS
These are the basic things about the forums, of course!

Making New Threads

• Ready to post something? First, think about what it is your posting. Is it something about Nintendo? If so, it should go in the Nintendo forum. Is it about computers? It should go in the PC section. Remember to always think about what to post and where it should go, so as to make it easier for us and for you.
• Before automatically posting something, make sure you check the forum you're posting in to be sure that it isn't already there. If you want to post something about Mario, check to see that what you were about to post isn't there. Just to avoid redundancy in threads, y'know.
• If you have a question, use the "Search" function at the top of the page. It'll help you a lot, trust me.
• When creating a thread, you can also make a poll. There are two different buttons for polls; make sure that you pick the right one. To make a poll, instead of clicking "New Topic", click "New Poll." You can now type a message and manage your poll. :]
• Think carefully about what you put in your poll. Mods don't want to be bothered by people who want to change their poll options. Also, try and make a balanced poll. A poll with answers like "YES", "DEFINITELY" and "OF COURSE" are dumb and biased.

Posting in General

• Proper grammar is always appreciated. Make sure that you use proper sentence structure, grammar, and spelling, and you'll immediately be accepted into the intelligent community of TGZ.
• Remember, always use complete words. "u", "ur", or "ne1" will not cut it, along with any other form of chat speak.
• Make sure you actually post thoughtful things. Comments such as "I liked that game." will not cut it. You need to actually post things that are worthwhile.
• Keep on topic. Posting "i like apple piez" in the middle of a game discussion is not acceptable. Just post relevant things, and everyone will be all right. :]
• Yes, there are language filters, but excessive swearing is still discouraged and is punishable. So let's keep the swearing to a minimum, shall we?
• Punctuation and capitalization are your friends, so use them, okay? People generally want to know when your sentence starts and where it ends.
• The word "spam" is relatively easy to understand. Basically, it's annoying, random crap, or posts such as "I agree" or "yes". Spam is punishable and is frowned upon.
• Double-posting is discouraged as well. That is why we have the edit button.

Forum Code

• So, what is this forum code, anyways? It's things that let you do things to make your posts more stylish, or to decorate them, basically. Putting bold tags at the end of a word make them bold. Things can also be made italic, as well, or underlined. The easiest way to do this is to use the buttons at the top of the page. If you click one of them once, it will start the tag. You then post whatever you want to post, and click it again. This time, it will end the tag.
• There are also quote tags you can use that put words in.
  

All other codes work in the same way.

The color tag changes the color of your text, such as red or orange. Pretty cool, right?

Forum Etiquette
Ways to become a well-liked and better member of our forums.

• Do NOT make a whole post in leet speak (example: "0mg 7h47 15 50000 c001!!1") or chat speak. It's annoying to read, and no one wants to decipher your posts as though they were Egyptian heiroglyphics.
• Another good thing to use is separate paragraphs. If you're making a long post, be sure to separate different points with spaces between your paragraphs. It makes for an easier read.
• Flaming is punishable, and is frowned upon. What is flaming, you say? Basically the making fun of or degrading of another member. It's unproductive, and helps no one.
• There are smilies, yes, but don't overuse them. An entire post consisting of only smilies is stupid, and no one wants to read it.
• Rent-a-modding, or acting as though you were a mod, is generally discouraged, though in some cases it's alright.

General Forum Stuff
What is it? We're here to tell you. :]

Private Messaging

• Well, what is it? Private messages, or PMs, are messages that are sent to you and only you. They're used for discussion between you and another person, so that you don't have to start a whole thread on it. You can just talk with people over pms, too. They're very useful.
• You can access this system by pressing the "Inbox" button at the top of the forums. This will take you to your pm inbox, where you can answer pms, create new pms, or manage your inbox.
• If you get a private message, there will be a popup telling you that you have one. You can then answer it, reply to it, or forward it.
• If you want to send someone a pm, you can either:
  1. Put their forum name in the box that says "To:".
  2. Press the PM button at the bottom of one of their posts.
  3. Click their name and press "Click Here" where it says "Private Message".
• Advertising through pms is discouraged.

The Factions

• So, what are these "factions", anyways? Well, the factions are exclusive groups that you, after taking a test, can choose to be put in.
• These factions have seperate forums that only members of that faction can see.
• Inside the factions, you can conduct forum games, and the rules are much more relaxed and lenient. There are also competitions that will go on between factions.
• There are four factions: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire.
• Any further questions or inquiries can be directed to the Base Camp: FAQ.

The Battlefield

• The Battlefield is a place where you can duke it out with your created character and other people's created characters.
• These battles are in an RPG style.
• Any further questions can be directed to the Battlefield Guidelines or the RPG Vault staff.

Ranks

• There are a few different ranks under people's avatars.
• These ranks are:
  1. New Gamer
  2. TGZ Member
  3. TGZ Gamer
  4. Game Junkie
  5. TGZ Regular
  6. TGZ Junkie
  7. Great Gamer
  8. Awesome Gamer
  9. Almighty Gamer
  10. Ultimate Gaming God
• However, after just 1 measly post, you're able to change your title to anything you want! You can find this option under "profile options" on your control panel. Warning: If you don't change it we will.

Changing your Name

• You're allowed one name change every three months. All you have to do to get your name changed is pm a Super Moderator or Admin, and certain Moderators can also do this. They will then change your name for you. Caution: be sure to think this out. After a name change, you cannot go back.

The Staff

• Make sure you're always respectful to staff. There are a number of moderators, super moderators, admins, and other staff here at TGZ. Make sure to be respectful to all of them and you'll be fine in our books. ;]

Signatures and Avatars
This explains what signatures and avatars are, and how to actively use them.

Avatars

• Your avatar is a picture displayed under your name whenever you post.
• Avatars can be no bigger than 130 x 130.
• You can either find a picture yourself, or you can make one/get one made by someone else.
• To change your avatar, go to your Control Panel and click "Edit Avatar Settings". There, you can either enter the web address of your picture or upload it from your computer.

Signatures

• Your signature is a compilation of either text or images that appears under each of your posts.
• Signatures can consist of either 8 lines of text, or one to three images equaling 450 x 150 and 4 lines of text. Any more, and it will be changed by staff.
• Smilies are counted as images.
• You can either make your own signature, or have one made for you by a signature maker.
• Code works in signatures, as well.
• To change your signature, go to your Control Panel and click "Edit Signature".

More Help
For further help, direct any questions to a moderator, super moderator, or admin, or any veteran member.


With this, have fun, and happy posting!