Welcome to Gaia! :: [A NEWBIE'S GUIDE TO GAIA!]

Log In

Forgot your login?

Sign Up

Register
 
GST
Tags: newbies  guide  gaia 
Export this topic to other sites using WildFire!
forum:57, topic:17588873
1 2 3 4 5 6 >
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif


Helpful information for your Gaian life!

The Newbie's Guide to Gaia is a continuously running project that I put together to help give GAIA's new members a headstart on getting up and going. Rather than struggling around to figure out how to use the site, the guide allows new users to jump right into the action. whee

The goal of this guide is simple: Help as many new users as possible. I hope that, with the constant maintenance and work that is put into this guide, I can achieve that goal. ^^



The guide is maintained and updated by me, Spencer Kun! If you have any questions about the guide, I've installed a system to allow questions to be asked about each individual topic. If you'll notice, each post has a question mark in the upper-right of it. Clicking that question mark will take you to a Question and Answer thread for that specific subject. Once there, feel free to ask any questions or relay any concerns that you might have. ^^




On the Table of Contents below, you can click any of the pages listed to take you straight to that page. Then, press Control+F on your keyboard if you wish to search directly for a specific topic. 3nodding



  • Table of Contents
    • Page One - The Basics
      • Post 1 - Welcome, Table of Contents, and Navigation. ------ <------- YOU ARE HERE.
      • Post 2 - Updates and Thank Yous.
      • Post 3 - How to Earn Gold/Gift Credits.
      • Post 4 - Private Messages (PM).
      • Post 5 - Clothes and shops and Monthly Collectibles.
      • Post 6 - Signature Images.
      • Post 7 - Gaia Housing.
      • Post 8 - Friendslist 411/Journals.
      • Post 9 - Trading/Vending Passes & Word Filter.
      • Post 10 - Gaian Dictionary.
      • Post 11 - Link List.
      • Post 12 - Extended Profiles.
      • Post 14 - Reserved.
      • Post 15 - Reserved.

    • Page Two - Forum Guide and Events
      • Post 1 - Table of Contents and Navigation.
      • Post 2 - Forum Etiquette.
      • Post 3 - Gaia Online.
      • Post 4 - Gaia Community.
      • Post 5 - Gaia Gaming.
      • Post 6 - Entertainment.
      • Post 7 - Artist's Corner.
      • Post 8 - Miscellaneous.
      • Post 9 - Post Options.
      • Post 10 - Forum Symbols and Buttons.
      • Post 11 - Admins, Moderators, and Helpers
      • Post 12 - Rare Events.
      • Post 13 - Reserved.
      • Post 14 - Reserved.
      • Post 15 - Reserved.

  • Page 3 - Map Guide and Mini-Games.

    • Post 1 - Table of Contents and Navigation.
    • Post 2 - Map Navigation.
    • Post 3 - Barton Town.
    • Post 4 - Isle de Gambino.
    • Post 5 - Durem.
    • Post 6 - Aekea.
    • Post 7 - GAIA Fishing Guide.
    • Post 8 - GAIA Casino Guide.
    • Post 9 - GAIA Towns Games
    • Post 10 - GAIA Word Bump Guide.
    • Post 11 - GAIA Jigsaw Guide.
    • Post 12 - GAIA Quests Guide.
    • Post 13 - Reserved.
    • Post 14 - Reserved.
    • Post 15 - Reserved.
 
     
 
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

Updates


"Key to Emoticon Use"
arrow = Update
idea = Soon to Come
exclaim = Announcement


"February 25 Update"
Just did some small things with the guide, since nothing new has been introduced on the site. @w@;

  • Took out the Friends@Gaia instructions due to the Friends@Gaia feature being removed.

  • Revamped the housing instructions due to the admins redoing that whole system. o_o;

  • Updated some things in the introduction. :3


I'll update again if anything changes! Thanks for readin'. ^^






Thank You!

Here's a list of thank you's I want to give out for the help we've received on this guide. Without these people, this newbie guide wouldn't be complete!

Terradi - Forum Etiquette (also located in a Friends Chat sticky)

SaraWhiteWolf - GAIA Hangouts, GAIA Journals, and GAIA Fishing guide.

[Rau] - Making the Maps Guide

teh xtina - GAIA Casino and GAIA Housing guide

The Windy GAIA Fishing guide

David-Batista - Collecting GAIA Towns images after the Towns update

TriskDaemon- Allowing me to use a lot of links for the Link List.

Other Moderators - Reviewing this guide and helped make it perfect enough so that it could be used by all newbies who choose to read it.

...there are just too many to list! If you have contributed to the guide one way or another, THANK YOU. If it weren't for you, this guide wouldn't have become what it is now. biggrin
     
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

How To Earn Gold/Gift Credits.


    .Contents.

  • Gift Credits
    • What They Are.
    • How They Work.
    • FAQ - As quoted by Rina.
    • Where To Get Them.


  • How To Get Gold
    • Newbie's Guide to Gold.
    • Exchanging and How It Works.
    • Vending and How It Works.
    • Guides on Gold.
    • Fishing for Gold.
    • Gambling for Gold.


Gift Credits.


    Gift Credits are easy to use and a good way to make gold, and get items. The following is quoted from [NPC] Rina.


"Rina"
What are Gaia Gift Credits and how do they work?

Gaia Gift Credits are a form of Gaia currency that you can purchase with cash in the Gaia Merchandise Store as a gift to the user of your choice.

One dollar is equal to 2,000 Gaia Gift Credits. Gift Credits can be used in Gaia Stores, and have the same value as Gaia gold. However, unlike Gaia gold, Gift Credits cannot be transferred or traded, nor can they buy Game Items or Donation Letters, and they cannot be converted into Gaia gold.

How do I know how many Gift Credits I have?
If you look at the top right corner of your screen, you'll see the number of Gifft Credits you have (if you have them). That number will be a link that will take you to your Gift Credit Account History (also known as your Checkbook).

Am I notified when I purchase items with Gift Credits?
You will recieve a PM from Rina after every transaction. If it's the first transaction of the day, you'll get a new PM; every purchase made with Gift Credits after the first one of the day will simply be added to that day's PM from Rina. You may note that every time you buy something, the message for the day will appear as unread, even if you have deleted it. You can, however, delete Rina's PMs from the day before, and they will stay deleted.

How do I clear my Purchase History?
Your Gift Credit Purchase History is permanent and cannot be removed or changed. This is for administrative and security reasons.

Where do I get Gift Credits?
You can purchase Gift Credits in the Gaia Merchandise Store (use the link at the top of this post). They can be purchased in USD$1.00 increments. (2,000 Gift Credits per USD$1.00).

If I buy Gift Credits, will I be able to use my Gift Credits immediately?
Depending on how your transaction was processed through the Gaia Merchandise Store, the person you gifted to may or may not have immediate access to their Gift Credits. If the person you gifted to does not have immediate access to their Gift Credits, they will generally be posted to their account within 2-5 business days.

I can't use the Gaia Merchandise Store! How can I get Gift Credits?
You can send Gaia an order for any merchandise item, including Gift Credits, via regular mail. Just mail us a note with your username on it and write clearly on the envelope "GIFT CREDITS" indicating how many Gift Credits you would like to purchase, along with your payment, to the following address:
Attn: AniHQ
PMB 414
105 Serra Way
Milpitas, CA 95035 USA.

For more information on how to do this, see the information on the Gift Credit page.

Where do I report Gift Credit bugs or problems using Gift Credits?
Please use this thread to report Gift Credit system bugs or problems.


How to Get Gold


    Starting out as a newbie isn't easy. It takes a lot of work, stamina, courage, self-confidence, and patience. The biggest worry a newbie has is what people will think of them, making friends, and most importantly, making Gold.

    So this is why we've made this guide for you. To help you make gold quickly, easily, and effortlessly. (Okay, well, maybe not effortlessly. Gaia takes a lot of effort.)

    The easiest, and probably quickest way to make Gold is to become an Exchanger, or a Vender. Its very hard to start out with for newbies, because you still have to have a little gold saved up to start doing both. So for now, we'll start out with the easier things.

    A few ways you can learn how to make Gold, is by checking out this helpful guide for Newbies.

    How to get Gold!

    After you have read this, it may help you with a little more understanding about how the whole Gold system on Gaia works.

    Probably the best way for a newbie to make gold is the following:

    • Fishing.
    • Going to the Casino.
    • Posting.
    • Joining lotteries.


    After you've made about 5k, you can check out this guide.

    How To Be An Exchanger.


Fishing To Get Gold.


    When fishing, there are very easy ways to make Gold.

    If you enjoy fishing, and you're looking for a nice small profit, all you have to do is catch the fish! After you do this, go to The Ole Fishing Hole and sell your fish to Old Man Logan. For every fish you sell, you get gold. So if you catch a lot of fish, and sell them, you'll get a lot of Gold!

    The fish come in all sizes. The bigger the fish, the more gold you get. The rarer the fish, a lot more gold you get. Its that simple!


Gambling For Gold.


    Now, if fishing isn't your thing, but playing slots is, then Gambling is most likely for you.

    There are two ways of gambling on Gaia.

    GAIA Slot Machines/Black Jack.

    If you're into Slot Machines, then here's the deal.

    Every token you buy is 1g. If you buy 100 tokens, you'll be paying 100g.

    If you take it to the slots, the maximum amount of tickets you can get for 1 token is 100,000g.

    If you sell 100,000 tickets for 1.7g a piece, thats 170,000g.

    From just ONE token! Now, that's a LOT of Gold.


Helpful Links.


 
     
 
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

Private Messages (PM)



Enabling your Private Messages:*
*Note: Your private messages are already enabled and set to "Yes" when you join.

  • Step one: Click "My Gaia" in the top banner.
  • Step two: Click "Account."
  • Step three: Scroll down.
  • Step four: Under the "Mail" menu, click Yes. However, there are three options. Let me explain them.
    • Yes allows everybody to send you Private Messages.
    • No means that nobody can send you Private Messages.
    • Friends Only means that only users on your friendslist can send you Private Messages.

  • Step five: Select your prefered option (I recommend "Yes" if you are a new user), and click submit.
  • Ta-da, you are now able to chat with other GAIA users over the Private Message system!



Sending Private Messages:

  • Step one: Click the mail button to the left of your avatar.
  • Step two: Click the --- --- button.
  • Step three: Fill out each of the boxes, and click "Submit."




ALSO


If you see somebody in a thread and you want to PM them, you can do it simply by clicking the PM button in the bar above their post. 3nodding





Replying to Private Messages:

When you receive a private message, the mail button on the navigation bar will "light up." Click that to take you to your inbox. 3nodding



Once in your inbox, you will see this:




As the diagram says, click the subject to view the PM. The PM will look something like this:



To reply to the PM, click the --- --- button. The same screen as if you were sending a new PM will pop up, except all of the boxes will be filled out for you, and the PM that you are replying to will be quoted. 3nodding
     
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

Shops and Monthly Collectibles


.Contents.


  • Shops
    • All The Shops.
    • NPCs
    • How to buy
    • Giftwrapping
    • Previewing Options.


  • Monthy Collectibles
    • What They Are
    • How They Work
    • Inflation?
    • Donating To Gaia
    • The benefits?
    • Handhelds?
    • How many are there?
    • When do they come out?



Shops:
  • Clothing Stores:
    • Barton Town


    • Isle De Gambino


    • Durem


  • Salon:

  • Casino Prizes:

  • Housing Items:

  • Game Items Shops:
    • Fishing


    • Towns - Flowers


    The main front of the shops are all pretty similiar. However, every one has a different NPC, and different items. Here is what Barton Boutique looks like, located in Barton Town.



    Everything is pretty illustrated and easy to use. The tabs on the side mean different things. Click on each of them to get to specific items. (I.e.: Bottoms, tops, hats, etc.)

    When selecting an item you wish to buy or preview, simply find the item; click on it, and get the item information. A small pop-up will come on the screen that looks like this:



    If you want to buy it, click on the "buy" button. It will ask you if you're sure you want to buy it. If you say yes, it will be added to your inventory and the gold will be deducted from your account. You MUST have enough, or more gold to buy the item. You cannot buy it without the right amount of gold.

    If you'd like to preview the item, click on the preview button. It will bring you to another pop-up that shows the item on your actual avatar, to show if you'd really like to buy that item.



    And this is pretty much all there is to the shops! Every shop is the same, it just has different items, and a different NPC. 3nodding


Monthly Collectibles


    Monthly Collectibles are very easy to learn, but if you learn on your own it could take a lot of time, frustration, and confusion. Which is why I'm going to help you learn everything there is to know about Monthly Collectibles.

    First, lets start off with what they are, and most importantly, what they do.

    Monthly Collectibles can be purchased by donating to Gaia. If you donate $2.50 American Dollars (it differs for other countries based on currency.) you can get 1 Sealed Envelope.

    A sealed envelope is a small envelope that looks like this:



    Every month on the 15th, the sealed envelopes will open. They will have two Monthly Collectibles to choose from.

    Example of a Monthly Collectible from a prior month:


    Angelbow and Chain of Command

    Every Monthly Collectible comes with a different pose, shape, and form. They are all items that you can wear.

    To get a complete list of the Monthly Collectibles, check the Gaia Items List

    These Monthly Collectibles do something that can be good, or bad. Its called inflation and it happens with EVERY item.

    The few minutes after the unveiling of the Monthly Collectibles, the inflation will skyrocket. This is just because everyone who doesn't have a Monthly Collectible, will want one. And the ones who do have a Monthly Collectible or two will want to make a profit off of selling them. A profit means more than what they bought the item for.

    You can only get one item from one sealed letter. If you buy more than one, you can get each item, or you can get one of every item. Its your choice.

    The only way to sell these items are in the Marketplace.

    But beware; there are only a limited amount of Montly Collectibles in circulation. The more members that join, the more the item will go up. Which means, if you keep the item for a long time, the price will go up, and you'll make more gold off of that item than you would if you sold it only a few days after it came out.

    Once again, however, its your choice what to do with it.

    If you have any questions, there will be time to ask them avaliable for the FAQ page. 3nodding
 
     
 
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

Signature Images
This section describes how to put an image in your signature, re-enable your signature, and add links to images.


Adding an image to your signature:

The first step to putting an image in your signature is to get the image's URL. There are two ways that you can do this.

    A) Get the URL of an image that already exists.
  • Step One: Find the image.
  • Step Two: Right click the image.
  • Step Three: Get the image's location.
    • If you are using Mozilla Firefox, you can do this by clicking "View Image Location" after right-clicking the image. Copy the URL it provides.
    • If you are using Internet Explorer, you can do this by clicking "Properties" and then copying the URL.

  • Step Four: Take the URL you just copied and go back to Gaia Online. When you get there, Click "My Gaia" in the top banner, and then click "Account."
  • Step Five: Click "Signature," which can be found to the right.
  • Step Six: Paste the URL you copied into the signature box.
  • Step Seven: Click "Submit."


OR

    B) Adding a picture saved on your computer.
  • Step One: Go to an image-hosting site. (A few image hosting sites are listed in the Link List towards the bottom of this page.)
  • Step Two: Follow that site's instructions on how to upload an image.
  • Step Three: Copy the URL that the image-hosting site provides.
  • Step Four: Take the URL you just copied and go back to Gaia Online. When you get there, click "My Gaia" in the top banner, and then click "Account."
  • Step Five: Click "Signature," which you can find to the right.
  • Step Six: Paste the URL you copied into the signature box.
  • Step Seven: Click "Submit."


NOTE: Remember the limits that your signature has. It cannot be any bigger than 500x500 pixels, and it's size cannot be over 100,000 bytes. Also remember that GAIA Online is a PG-13 site, which means your signature may not contain nudity, extremely racist or hateful messages, or anything else that would be against the GAIA Online Terms of Service.




Re-enabling your signature:

So, you finally add an image to your signature, and you get a PM saying that it has been disabled. Whether you broke the limits by accident or on purpose, you're going to need to re-enable your signature. 3nodding Here's how to do that.

  • Step One: Click "My Gaia" in the top banner, and then click "Account."
  • Step Two: Click "Signature."

    You should see a screen like this:


    (No signature was actually disabled due to a breaking of limits. The signature was blocked merely as an example.)
  • Step Three: Check the box that says "Check here then submit to unblock your signature."
  • Step Four: Click "Submit."


    NOTE: Everytime you re-enable your signature, it will cost you a certain amount of gold as a penalty. They are as followed:

    1st time = 10 gold
    2nd time = 100 gold
    3rd time = 1000 gold
    4th time = 10000 gold
    5th time and above = 20000 gold, 40000 gold, 80000 gold, and so on. It doubles each time.



Adding a link to an image:

You want your signature to be click-able, and guide all who click it to specific website or thread on GAIA? Well, doing that is actually very easy. :3

First, follow the steps listed above to get the image's URL. Once you have that, get link of the website that you want the picture to be linked to. Then follow the format shown below to make the image clickable. smile

[URL=URL of the website here][img]malformed url[/img][/URL]


Basically, what you are doing is placing the image tags inside of the URL tags. Simply replace "URL OF THE WEBSITE HERE" with the site's URL, and "URL OF THE IMAGE HERE" with the image's URL. All set. biggrin
     
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

GAIA Housing
Everything you need to know to give your avatar the perfect home. ^^


Buying a house:

First, you'll want to visit the town of Aekea. This is because Aekea is home to the Housing Commission! (You can get to the housing commission by clicking that link or by going to Aekea and finding it. It is located to the far right in the town.)


Once you are at the Housing Commission, click "Homes: Get your homes here!" It will ask you what style of home you want. Select the style that you like the best. And there you have it. You now have a home!




Buying things to decorate your house with:

So, you're feeling pretty awesome because you now have a house. Congrats! But don't you want to decorate it? surprised

Buying items to decorate your house is very simple, actually. And there are THREE ways to do it. o_o;

1. Go back to Aekea where you bought your house, and travel your mouse up north to The Faktori.

2. Click that link or the image to the right.

3. Click the "Buy Furniture" button at the housing commission.




Decorating your house:

Now you've got your house and your housing items. All you need to know is how to decorate your house. 3nodding

There are actually very few simple steps to take to decorate your house. They are:

  • Step One: At the bottom of any page, there is the GAIA A to Z list. Click the "Full A-Z Index" link. On that list, find and click the "Inventory Arranger" link.
  • Step Two: You will see a "My Items" box and a "My Suitcase" box. Click and drag the items that you want in your hous from the "My Items" box into the "My Suitcase" box.
  • Step Three: Save your changes.
  • Step Four: Click "Arrange my home."





REMEMBER! When you are done arranging your home, be sure to save your changes. 3nodding


Upgrading your house and changing its style:

So, you're still not satisfied with your house? Maybe you want to change the style of house that it is? Maybe you want to make it a bit bigger, so it can hold all of those cool items that you picked up over at The Faktori? Well, that is very simple, my friends!

Simply go to the Housing Commission again, and click the appropriate button (Upgrade or Change Style). 3nodding

 
     
 
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

Friendslists and Journal


.Contents.


  • Friends List
    • Friendslists Requests.
    • How To Add A Friend.
    • Using Your Friends List.
    • Maximum Friends.
    • Ignore List.
    • Removing A Friend.
    • Finding Your Friend.
    • Friends@Gaia Feature.


  • Journals
    • Creating Your Journal.
    • Posting In Your Journal.
    • Commenting In Others' Journal.
    • Finding Your Friends Journals.
    • Seeing Your Entries.


How To Use The Friends List


    When you're first learning how everything works on the Friends List , the whole process can be confusing and very overwhelming. However, its all very simple if you take it step by step.

    The first step is to go to the Profile of the person you want to add to your Friends List. There, you will see their avatar, and a bar above it. The first icon you see will look like this:



    Click on it, and wait for the next page to load. When you get to the next page, it will look like this:



    If you're positive that you want to add this person as a friend, click on "Yes, I'm sure." This will add them directly to your friends list, and it will send the user a confirmation icon to show that you have added them, and ask if they would like to add you back.

    And voila! You have added someone to your friends list!

    Note: Adding a person to your friends list will change their name to a blue color. If they PM you, or if you see them around, don't be alarmed. This just shows you that they are on your friends list, and you're on theirs. 3nodding


Getting A Friend Request


    If you get a friends request, it means someone wants to add you to their Friends List. When this happens, a bubble will pop up next to your avatar indicating that someone has just put you on their friends list. Its very similiar to the trading bubble, but it looks like this:



    To see who added you to their friends list, click on the bubble next to your avatar, or the text below your gold count. When you get there, it will have a screen that says "Pending Approvals." This will show you who just added you to their friends.


Adding To Ignored


    Is someone bothering you? Have you asked them to stop talking to you, but they won't? Well, there's a simple solution to stopping the problem instead of yelling. Its called your Ignored List.

    To add a person to your ignored list, go to your Friends List first. There will be a tab that says "Ignored" at the top of the page. Click on that tab, and it will take you to another page.

    To add a person to your ignore list, put in their username in the small text bar in the upper right hand corner. Remember to put their username in correctly, and spelled right. Otherwise, you might put another person on there that you didn't mean to.



    After clicking "Add To Ignored", you have added this person to your ignore list!

    Putting a person on your ignore list will result in the following:

  • They cannot PM you.
  • They cannot see your replies to a topic.

    Now you have that person on your ignored list. Enjoy not being bugged anymore!


Removing From Ignored


    So, you've decided that the person has been on your ignored list for too long, eh?

    Well, that's alright. If you'd like to remove a person from your ignored list, there's a way to do it -- so don't panic, saying they're stuck on there forever. Because they're not!

    To remove a user from your ignored list, go to your "Ignored" tab once more. Once there, it's similar to adding a person. However, find the person you want to remove from your list. To the far right, there will be a little box. Click on it, and a check mark will appear. After doing so, go down to the bottom and click "Remove from Ignored."



    And now, you have mastered the art of the ignore list!


How To Use A Journal


    When getting a journal, the first step is to create one.

    To first create a journal, go to the top header. Click "My Gaia," and then click "Journal." That will take you to a screen that says: "Error: You have not yet created a journal. Create now?"

    Click on the link that says "Create Now." And it will take you to this screen.



    Follow the step-by-step instructions I have provided for you.

  • Title: The title can be anything you want it to be. The title will show up in your profile, and as the basic title for everything in your journal.
  • Journal Description: What will you be using your journal for? To post your thoughts, ideas, opinions? Your everyday happenings? Or maybe something else. You tell us.
  • Journal Header: The header of your journal can be a quote, or anything you want.

    The next step is to make a decision: Make your journal public, or make it private?



    When you make your journal publicially viewable, anyone can see it. If there's a random person in a forum that stumbles upon your journal, they can see it and comment in it with no problem. However, if you make it friends only, the only people who can see it are people who are on your friends list. This way its more private.

    If you want to use it only for yourself to view, cilck on "No." This will make it so absolutely NOBODY but yourself can view your journal.

    After you're done with your preferences, click the Submit button.

    It will take you to a screen that says: "SUCCESS! Your journal has been created. Create your first journal entry now?"

    If you'd like to make your first journal entry, click on "Create your first journal entry now?" And it will take you to a screen much like if you were posting a new topic on the forums. After you've put in your first journal entry, it will come out like this:



    If you're not satisfied with the way your journal entry turned out, you can either edit it, or delete it. If you delete it, that journal entry will be gone forever. It is not reversable.

    To view other users journals, your other entries, or to change your preferences, there are buttons for each of these actions in the upper right hand corner of the page. It looks like this:



    Congratulations on making your journal, and mastering your friends list!
     
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/quest-mark.gif

Trading, Vending, and Word Filters.


    Contents:
  • Trading How To's.
    • How to get there.
    • How to start trades.
    • How to use the trading system.
    • Trading with others.
    • Adding gold and items.
    • Finishing trades.
    • Pending Trades.


  • Vending How To's
    • How The Marketplace Works.
    • How to get a Vending pass.
    • How To Sell Your Items.
    • How To Buy Items.
    • How to bid.


  • Word Filters
    • What They Are.
    • Why they're used.
    • How to get them.


Trading How To's


    When learning how to trade, it is extremely important that you take careful consideration in what you're doing. This means you need to make sure that you are sure you'd like to make the trade, and you're not being ripped off. However, we'll be covering that later.

    For now, however, it is most important that I warn you to be careful when dealing with other users, and YOUR password. You will never need to tell the person you're trading with your password. If they tell you otherwise, report them to a GAIA Mod immediately. GAIA will never ask you for your password in PMs, IMs, or e-mails.

    And now that we have that out of the way, how about we continue on to learning how to trade?


    Step #1:




    When first learning how to trade, remember to first go to the Bank

    The bank is located under the "Community" bar. Click on the link "Trades" to get to the main page of the bank. After doing this, depending on how many times you've visited the Bank before (and we're assuming you haven't), you'll need to buy something called a Trading Pass.

    A Trading Pass costs 500g to buy. It may sound rather pricey, but you can't trade without it. And trading is a very big part of everyday life on Gaia. So it does pay off in the long run.

    Once you're to the bank, and you're done buying your Trading Pass, you'll see a small white box that has a button next to it that says: "Start New Trade." In the white box, type in the username of the person you will be trading with. Make sure that the username is exactly right. If you miss spell the username, it could be sent to the wrong person, or it might not work at all.


    Step #2:




    Congradulations! You've made it this far. Now lets talk about the basics of the trading window.

    When you're first trading, it may be a little confusing to find everything. Study the diagram above to see the basics of the trading screen.



    To trade items, click on the tabs in your inventory. When you find the item you want, click on the image of the item. It will disappear from your inventory and show up in the trade window. If you decide you do notw ant to put that item in the trade, click on the item again, and it will go back into your inventory.

    To add gold to the trade, click on the word "GOLD". A window will pop up asking you how much gold you wish to add to the trade. Add in the amount (you can only add as much as you actually have. xD) and press "OK". It will be taken out of your gold count and put into the trade window.

    After you've completed these two steps, put your password in the text bar below. When you've put in your password, you have one of two options. You can either A.) Accept the Trade, or, if you're not satisfied with it, you can B.) Cancel the trade. To cancel the trade, you have to also put your password in, but instead click "Cancel Trade" instead of Accept. :3


    Step #3. Waiting.


    After you have sent the trade, you must wait for the other user to accept. To see when they've accepted, you can go to the Bank and see your pending trades. This show's if the user's accepted the trade once, twice, or hasn't at all.



    Once the user has accepted your trade, the trade will switch back into your "Trades waiting on ME" section. The trade bubble next to your avatar will brighten up, like this:



    When you see this, click on the bubble to take you to the bank. There, you can view your list of trades, and determine which one is the new one.


    Step #4. Accepting the Trade.


    When you get to your trade, you have one last thing you must do. And this is accepting, and finishing the trade. To accept the trade is simple. The other user will have accepted by inputting his or her own items in exchange for yours. If you are satisifed with the user's exchange, put your password in the text box and click the "Accept Trade" button. This will bring you to a screen that looks like this:




    The trade will go to a section of the bank that says: "Completed Trades."



    This means you're done with the trade, and both of you have accepted. Now you can head to your inventory and put on your items! Congratulations!

    **Note: Some images were cut due to stretching of the page.


Vending How To's


    Before you start vending, its important to know the basics of the Marketplace.

    Step #1 - Getting There.


Getting to the Marketplace is simple. Almost exactly like trading. But instead of going to the "Trade" link, click the "Marketplace" link.



Once at the Market, you'll see items floating all over the place. Don't panic! Its just people selling their items for you to buy. The top bar of the Market looks like this:



This is the top of the Marketplace. The top is mostly for anything you might need help with.

The FAQ: The Marketplace FAQ is there to help confused members learn the quick ways to use the vend. It is also a way to help you learn the rules of the market so you don't accidently do something wrong and get in trouble for it. You can save a lot of drama by just taking some time to read these rules.

Buying A Vend Pass: If you'd like to sell your items, or buy other items, you must first purchase a Vending Pass. This allows you to buy, sell, and bid on other users items, as well as your own. A vending pass costs 1,000g and it never expires. It may sound pricey, but its really worth it.

Note: You may not buy a vending pass until you have first purchased a Trading Pass.

The "View" Button: The "View" button is designed to take you back to the main page of the marketplace.

The "Buy" Button and the "Bid" Button: If you see an item you'd like to buy or bid on, that seems like its a reasonable price, click on the "Bid/Buy" button. This will take you to a screen that will ask for your gold amount (depending on if you're bidding or buying) and your password.



Buying The Item: When you're buying the item, its always important to make sure you have the right item, the right amount of gold you'd like to sell it/bid it out for, and the correct information included. To help you get a better understanding, I've made an example for you.




When buying the item, I will stress this once again: Always make sure to check your sell price! If you make a mistake, you will NOT be able to get the item back! It's gone. You've sold it. So always make sure you're selling the item for the right amount. You might think that you won't make a mistake, but trust me, I've done it. Its common, and easy to do, and I was out 100,000g.

Your Market Shop: Once you have bought a vending pass, you will get your own shop in the
Marketplace. Your shop will look like this:



Your shop is pretty much your whole identity in the market. Its where you sell your things, and its where you keep track of how much gold you've made from selling. It's also part of your account, and you can never lose your shop. It's there forever.

Selling An Item: There are 2 steps in selling an item.

1. Selling the item itself.
2. Confirming the sale.


The following screen shots show you the process of going through selling an item, and confirming it afterwards.



Once again, and I cannot stress this enough, remember to check to see that you don't make any typo's on the sell price! Also, do NOT add "g" at the end (for Gold.) and if you're selling something that is worth more than 900g, do not put comma's in the number. A correct example would be this: "1000" It will add the comma's and "g" for you.



Once you have confirmed the sale, the item will be put into the market on the front page. If a user see's the item and wants it, they will buy it. A PM will be sent to your account, and the gold will be added to your gold count. The PM will state who bought the item, and at what time.

Congratulations! You've sold your first item! It wasn't that hard, now was it?

Item Search: When searing for an item, you have to be very careful about what you put in the search bar. Right now, for instance, the search system is very sensitive and sometime's messes up easily. Remember to put the EXACT name of the item in the search.



And voila! You now know everything there is to know about the marketplace!


Word Filters


    Now let's move on to world filters, shall we?


Step #1 - Getting there.

To get a word filter, you must first click "My Gaia" in the top banner. Then, click "Profile."



Step #2 - Getting To Your Account Settings.

To get to your account settings is simple. Once you're at your profile, just look for the link on the side-bar that says "Account". Once you find it, click on it.



Once you're to your account, scroll down a little ways. You'll see an option that says &q