Getting your Windows Live account requires only a valid email address and password. To begin, visit the Windows Live Sign In page and click the "Sign up for an account" button. Once there, you will be asked to provide either an existing email, or to create a new address. After inputting your email information, you will create your password and then be asked to accept the Windows Live Network Terms of Use and Windows Live Network Privacy Statement.

There are two types of groups to join in Pro Football Pick'em: public and private. Public groups are designed for participants who wish to join an existing group to compete with. Private groups operate in the same way, however with private groups you will be invited to play by the group manager. Those you play with in your private group could be your friends, family members, or even co-workers. To start, simply click the "Join Group" button at the bottom of the registration confirmation page.

To join a private group, you will need the group ID and password from the group manager. Insert this information into the appropriate areas, hit the "Join Private Group" button, and you will be on your way to making your picks in your private group.

The other option is to join one of the many public groups available. The search function above the public groups that are listed will help you find a specific public group fit for your style of play. Clicking on a public group will allow you to review the group home page, its members, posts on the message board, and join it by clicking the "Join Group" icon.

If you'd rather not be part of any group at all, but still follow the progress of your picks, you can simply choose to not join or create a group, and still make your picks and follow all the action.

Creating and managing your own Pro Football Pick'em group is a great way to get involved in the game. Just like the Join a Group feature, you can make a public group that anyone can join or you can create a private group to challenge your family, friends, or coworkers. For both, clicking the "Create a Group" button will take you to the group customization page.

Here you can create a group name, choose a public or private group, enter a group description, and choose to upload an image to serve as the group logo. On this page you will also have the option of choosing to allow your group to award bonus points and/or drop the lowest score in a given week. Just click the yes or no button for each before creating your group.

When you're finished, click "Create Group". You will be taken to the confirmation page where you can proceed to your group home page, or you can use the Invite Friends feature to get more members.

For the best experience, we recommend Internet Explorer 7 on PC with the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. Pro Football Pick'em will also work in Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox 2.0 or higher on PC. Please upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

At this time, Pro Football Pick'em does not support the Macintosh OS (NOTE: Mac users may be able to use the site with Firefox).

A broadband internet connection is advised.

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After creating or signing into an existing Windows Live (MSN Passport) account, the next step is to Create an Entry. To do so, simply sign in FoxSports.com and find Pro Football Pick'em option under the Fantasy Tab. From here select the button marked Create Entry. Once inside the Create Entry page you can begin to customize your entry.

In the blank space next to "Entry Name" you can come up with a name for your picks you'll choose. By selecting either "yes" or "no", you can choose whether you want to use point spreads, show or hide your email address, and select which email notifications you'd like to receive. If you don't understand what one of the options are, you can hover your cursor over the "Help" tabs on the right-hand side and an explanation of the option will appear. When you're finished, click the "Create Entry" button and from there you can review the entry settings you chose, as well as either join a group, or create your own group.

To edit your entry, click on View Picks just below the My Entry tab. Select the team you think will win by clicking the radio button next to their team name. You will see the team they are playing for that week on the same row. Next, if your group uses bonus points, assign your value to that game. Click the Submit button at the bottom of the page and you are done. Note: No duplicate bonus values may be used for groups that have selected the bonus value option.

Pro Football Pick'em includes all NFL games played by each week. Selections for Week 1 and beyond may be made shortly. As of this time the initial pick ability has not been released.

Yes. Importing your picks is a great way to save time and make all your picks at once without having to go through each an every game and make your selections. To do so, proceed again to the View Picks page. Just above the selection table there will be a dropdown tab giving you the option to import selections from another one of your entries. Use the dropdown to select the entry you want to use, click the submit picks button, and your My Entry page will update to show you your new picks.

No. You may choose how many picks you wish to complete. However, we strongly recommend that you make all your picks if you want the maximum possible points.

To delete your entry, just go to your My Entry page and select the Delete Entry option near the top of the page. You will then be prompted to confirm your choice. NOTE: Once an Entry is deleted there is no way to retrieve that lost information. Once an entry has been scored, it can not be deleted.

Yes. You are able to make your picks in advance in Pro Football Pick'em, as the NFL schedule is set before the season starts.

Once your Pro Football Pickem Entry has been created the season is on and you can make your picks! Choose to pick all your games in advance, follow along each week, the strategy is up to you!

When a point spread is not in use for a particular game, the spread will be "No Line". The selection table will display a "NL" for the game in question and neither team is the favorite. In this scenario, a winning pick will be credited to the winning team.

Users who are using Mozilla's Firefox 3 as their internet browser may experience issues saving their picks. This is caused by the Firefox add-on, Firebug. To disable this option, click on Tools in the menu and then Add-ons. You should be able to disable the option there and then save your picks in the game.

Editing Group Info is an option available only to Group Managers. If you wish to change you group name, group type (public or private), scoring settings, password, description, or group logo, sign in and proceed to your main Group Page. From here select Edit Group Info, make the changes you want, and click the radio button marked "Confirm". The changes should appear immediately.

After you have created your group and want to invite your friends, click the Group Page tab and select Invite Friends. From here, add the email addresses of the participants you wish to invite, write a personalized message for them if desired, and press the radio button "Send Invitations". An email will be sent with the appropriate links from FOXSports.com inviting the recipients to join your group.

The number of participants you can have in your group is almost unlimited. Invite away and beef up your group with competition. The more people you beat, the bigger the pot.

As the group manager you have the ability to remove any participant's Entry in your group, including your own. To do so, go to the Group Page and select Remove Group Members. Here you will see every Entry participant along with a checkbox next to the name. Select the entry to be removed and click the Submit button to save your change. Note: Once you remove an entry there will be no way to bring that participant's Entry back. You may only select more than one entry at a time to be removed.

The Lock Group feature provides the Group manager with the tools necessary to keep someone from swapping a better performing entry into the group. The Group manager will always be able to unlock the group to allow people to join after the fact. Automatically, all groups will start unlocked. To use this feature, go to the Group page and click the button that says "Your group is currently unlocked" on the upper right side of the screen. The following page will tell you whether your Group is locked or unlocked, and will give you the option to make a change. Just click the radio button "Submit" and the page will confirm your choice.

Posting a message is a great way to communicate with members in your group. Whether you are discussing an upcoming game, getting pick advice, or just trash talking, the message board is a great place to get involved in the game. Posting a message can be as simple as typing your message and clicking submit. However, you can also choose to get a little more complicated and use our table of HTML tags to liven up your writing.

In case you decide the group you have joined is not for you and wish to remove yourself, just go to your Group Page and select the Leave Group option. This will allow you to keep your Entry without losing your pick information. You can then decide to join another group or create one if you wish.

The key to picking winners isn't all raw instinct. Sometimes you got to do your homework. Pro Football Pick'em has you in mind, designing several great ways to research the weekly matchups and help you determine who is destined for gridiron glory.

Also don't forget to check out...

Expert Selections

This section of the Research page can be accessed by clicking on the Expert Selections link just above the Pick Breakdown table. Here you will find our Pro Football experts contributing their picks and opinions on the matchups to help your hone your picking skills and boost your bonus. These expert opinions combined with our users can help you understand who has the best possible chance to win their game and how much you should gamble on that pick.

Entries earn points two ways in Pro Football Pick'em. An entry may earn points first for correct selections. Correct selections for all games earn 1 point.

The second way for an Entry to earn points is based on the Bonus value that they attribute to each matchup. An entry earns the value of the bonus points assigned to each correct selection. If your group uses a spread, please note that even though you may choose the correct winner of a given game, you may still not be awarded the points for correct selection and bonus value. The reason for this has to do with the game spread. If you have chosen one team to win by the amount indicated in the spread, and that team fails to beat or match the spread but still wins the game, you will actually not be awarded any points. Likewise, if you choose a team to win and they lose, but still beat the spread, then you will get credit for the points.

Bonus value is a number you assign to each game selection that represents how much bonus you have that your pick will be accurate. How ever many games there are in a given week corresponds to how many bonus points you will be able to attribute to those games. For example, if there are 20 teams playing one week, you can assign any number from 1 to 20, 20 representing the highest bonus value you have for a pick. If your pick ends up correct, the bonus value that you chose is added to your overall point total. NOTE: Once a bonus value is used, you are no longer allowed to assign that number to any other game that week. The unused Bonus bar above your entries shows which bonus values are still available for use. If after the given matchup your pick is correct, the bonus value that you chose is then added to your point total for that game.

While group managers will not have the ability to change FOX Pro Football Pick'em scores, certain settings for this season can be chosen. During the group create stages, the group manager has the choice to use a spread in his group, drop the lowest score each week to optimize points, and also the option to not use bonus values.

All groups use game tiebreakers in this order:

• Overall Points
• Bonus Points
• Correct Pick Points
• Number of Correct Picks
• Tiebreakers will continue backwards with each preceding week until the tie is broken.

There are no current prizes for winning Pro Football Pick'em.