So I've noticed that we're getting some of the disgruntled Gamespot crowd who is leaving in exodus after the Kane and Lynch incident. We may even be getting more that are just the people who've registered, but that's beside the point. You're here, and that's what matters.

First off, thank you for choosing Destructoid for your gaming news and community needs. Welcome.

If you haven't signed up for an account yet, please do so. It's by no means mandatory, but it's vital to doing a lot of things on the site, like commenting or writing the C-Blogs. Also, it's painless and totally free.

The basic rule for Destructoid success is don't suck. This is actually pretty easy to achieve, as all it constitutes is not doing anything stupid.

But perhaps you're looking for a bit more info. How do I not suck, you might wonder? Well, here's some info to help get you started:

C-Blog Success: It's not as hard as you think

So you've decided to start up your own Community Blog, or C-Blog as we call it. Well, good for you. But now... you're wondering, "How do I do a good job and not suck?"

That my friends, isn't as hard as it seems. In fact, I'll give you a few tips to help get you started.

- If you're new, check out Butmac's Community Blogging Tips and Secrets (both parts). It should be required viewing.

- Also, be sure to read BFeld's tips. Or heck, take a class at Destructoid University, where you will be taught by the finest members of Destructoid.

- Don't be like whiteboy0869. If you don't know who that is - and considering you are now, you probably won't - then don't worry, as you'll find out in time.

- Check the front page and blogs themselves to make sure you're not repeating info we already know.

- Writing features are not required, but highly suggested, as long as they're something original or funny. Good examples are located a bit further down. Like... directly below.

- Embedding pictures or videos is recommended if you've got them. Use your Photoshop or video-editing skills if you've got them. Make us laugh and you'll make an impact.

There's a bunch of other posts that I'm currently unable to find with some helpful hints (seems the Destructoid blogs have a bug right now), but if anyone finds them, I'll edit them in.

As for what to read on the C-Blogs... I wrote a super-brief guide a while ago, so I'll re-post it here with some updates:

A super-brief guide to the Best of the Destructoid C-Blogs

Hello, Destructoid n00bs. Welcome. Have you sucked yet? No? Good to hear.

So you've got your C-Blog going and are slowly becoming a member of the community. That's great. But you might be wondering about what the best stuff on the C-Blogs is.

Well, I put together a short, yet incomplete list of some of the C-Blogs' highlights. These are the features I generally read each time I see them pop up on my friends lists. So I put together a list of those features so that people who are new to D-toid will not only have an example of how to do good (and in the process, not suck), but to give them something to enjoy.

So here you go:

Weekly Cosplay Post - One of my favorites on the C-Blogs, Virtualgirl brings D-toid some of the best cosplay that you can find on the Interwebs. Some of these are just incredibly well-done. A must-read C-Blog feature for me. NOTE - Virtualgirl now posts these over on our sister site Japanator, but she also links to them here in her C-Blog, so keep an eye out.

Japan: A Blog - dvddesign writes about his journeys to Japan. They are very entertaining and informative and always an enjoyable read, even if you've already been to Japan.

Smash Update & Smash Update CONTEST! - Who wants to win teh Haloz when you can win teh Smash? Indeed. BlindsideDork brings the latest Smash news to the C-Blogs so you don't have to be bothered to go all the way over to the Smash Bros. Dojo to find it. He also does a very interesting contest where you have to guess what the next day's announcement will be, but now what BSD picked or you don't get points. Still, it's the only way I know to win the Smash.

Out of Date Game Review - Well-done reviews of older games that don't just say "this game sucks now because (insert game/sequel) is out," but actually take a serious look at these older titles. A very enjoyable read, but they seem to take a while to get done. Sharpless, we need more of these.

What Happened! - I don't know how Cowzilla does this, but he's an absolute genius. What Happened! is a daily recap of everything that happened on the C-Blogs, done in a storylike form with tons of BBCode and links to blogs thrown in. I really can't describe how this works. You need to see this for yourself. He also has some other great features that are must-reads, like What is a Hero.

Rantoid - Necros picks a topic. He rants on it. You read it.

Old School Adventure Games - Maybe the newest feature I've come to enjoy, Butmac's observations on old-school adventure games are a pleasant read, and I've actually learned a few things from this feature so far.

Licensed Games That Don't Entirely Suck - Mxyzptlk's new feature is proof that with a little time and effort, a licensed game is not a bad game. So far, it's been older games featured, but you can bet things like GoldenEye 007 will get their moment in the spotlight, too.

Also, don't forget to check out -D-'s C-Blog for the Amazon Deal of the Day updates and Excremento's C-Blog for good posts and drink recipes. And to add a shameless plug, my blog - the one you're reading right now - has a few features, including the on-going "Worst. Character. Ever." tournament.

But not everyone does a single, well-known feature, and there are plenty of C-Blogs that are just great reads for one reason or another. Professor Pew's, electro lemon's, Ron Workman's, BFeld13's and atheistium's C-Blogs are only a handful of the awesome C-Blogs that are in existence.

Still, this is just a list to begin with. I've been posting here regularly for quite some time and I still haven't found everything great about the C-Blogs. Plus, on top of that, new features will come and go, so the best advice I can give you is to explore, read and enjoy.

And don't suck.

Community Gaming

Another great Destructoid feature is that we community members get together every week at different times to game and just have fun. They're among my most anticipated nights of the week and they're almost always a good time.

Friday Night Fights and Wednesday Night Warcawks are the two that seem to happen the most, and I'm not totally sure, but I think there are get-togethers on Tuesday night for Halo 3 and throughout the week for Team Fortress 2 on the Destructoid Steam server. Check the blogs regularly for the posts letting you know when the events are happening and what we'll be playing. And be sure to leave a comment with your Gamertag/ID/etc. and what games you want to play in the proper posts. Otherwise, we won't know who the hell you are.

If you decide to bring any friends along, though, remember: you are responsible for them if they're annoying, and if we think they're being annoying, we're probably going to boot them. If they're team players, though, then they're more than welcome, and heck, why not tell them to visit Destructoid while they're at it?

Other important notes

- If you have a hot tip that we haven't reported (or maybe one that no one else is reporting, too), then send it to [url=mailto:tips@destructoid.com]tips@destructoid.com[/url].

- Want to know the history of this site? Click here.

- Commenting and being active on the forums is highly encouraged, but posting two-word sentences all the time is not.

- Get to know the editors. They are people, too. Just people with more power than you.

- We has a MySpace and a Facebook group. Add us.

- Lastly... don't suck. Can't stress that enough.