# Accounts and User Profiles
In GeoNode a lot of content is public so unregistered users have read-only access to public datasets.

To create and edit the content on GeoNode, you need to first *sign up* and then *log in* as a **Registered Member**.

GeoNode is primarily a *social platform*. Thus a primary component of any GeoNode instance is the **user account**.

This section will guide you through account registration, updating your account information and preferences, connections with social networks, and email addresses.

## Register to the Platform as a new Member
To take full advantage of all the GeoNode features you need a user account.

Follow these steps to create a new one:

 - From any page in the web interface, you will see a `Register` link. Click the Register link, and a `Sign Up` form will appear.
     ![image](./img/register_link.png)

 - Fill in the `Sign Up` form. Enter a user name and password in the corresponding fields. Also, enter your email address.

     - E-mail: `test_user1@test.geonode.org`
     - Username: `test_user1`
     - Click Checkbox `I'm not a robot`
     - Password: `test_user1`
     - Password (again): `test_user1`
     
     ![image](./img/signup_form.png)
   
- You will automatically be logged in and redirected to the GeoNode home page. On a production system, with a correctly configured `EMAIL SMTP` service, an email will be sent confirming that you have signed up. If no errors occur during the registration, you will see the default profile image/icon on the top-right side of the page:

    ![image](./img/profile_icon.png)
 
- To log out click on the `Log out` link in the user menu which appears after clicking on the profile image.
    ![image](./img/logout_link.png)

- You have to confirm this action as shown in the picture below.

     ![image](./img/logout_confirm.png)

## Updating the Profile
A registered account on GeoNode allows you to create and publish your content, access private resources, and collaborate with other members by editing the data and metadata of the existing content.

Having good metadata associated with the datasets is critical. Once content has been created or uploaded onto GeoNode, the platform will show it through a **Metadata Catalog** and will allow external clients to search and explore it via different protocols.

GeoNode will use the information associated with your profile to enrich the content's metadata, thus allowing the clients to perform accurate queries against the catalog interface.

This is why it is a good practice and **strongly recommended**, to carefully edit your profile information as a first action.

### Editing the Profile information
- Once logged in, click on the `username` at the upper-right side of the navigation bar. A dropdown menu will list a set of helpful menu links. Click on `Profile`.

     ![image](./img/profile_page.png)

- Click on the `Edit Profile` link from the menu and enter the information as shown in the screenshot below.

- Once finished, click on `Update Profile` to save the changes

     ![image](./img/edit_profile_1.png)
  
     ![image](./img/edit_profile_2.png)
       
Your personal information will be updated accordingly and shown on the profile page.

- It is possible to add a personalized `Avatar` by clicking on the `Change Your Avatar` button from the `Edit Profile` page.
     
     ![image](./img/change_avatar_link.png)

- Click on the `Choose file` button as shown below.
     
     ![image](./img/change_avatar_page.png)

- Click on the `Other Locations` button and then `Computer`
     
     ![image](img/125307877-bafcd800-e330-11eb-9f24-ddf35fafa526.png)

- Search for the `opt` folder in your file browser and double click on it
     
     ![image](img/125308072-e384d200-e330-11eb-8e47-c1034653330f.png)

- Navigate to `opt/data/sample_data/documents/images` and search for the file `flowers.jpg`, select the file, and click on the `Open` button.
     
     ![image](img/125308459-352d5c80-e331-11eb-8f70-7c18fdb5a19c.png)

- The file name will appear on the upload form. Click on the `Upload New Image button`.
     
     ![image](img/125308651-5f7f1a00-e331-11eb-887f-18f0a55c95b8.png)

- Your current avatar will be updated accordingly. Click on the `back` button to return to the edit profile page.
     
     ![image](./img/change_avatar_page_1.png)

- The updated avatar will be displayed both on the edit profile page and, as a small icon, beside the user name in the upper-right corner.
     
     ![image](img/125308963-a5d47900-e331-11eb-9180-a7c12bc2191d.png)

#### [Next Section: Managing Favorite Shortcuts](USER_FAVORITES.md)