~-[[FrontPage|Launchpad Help]] > [[YourAccount|Your account]]-~

= Overview =

Before you start using Launchpad, you need to [[YourAccount/NewAccount|set up a Launchpad account]]. With your new Launchpad account, you'll be able to:

 * show other people what work you do in Launchpad and earn karma
 * join teams working on free software
 * file, comment on, triage and solve bugs
 * host and monitor code in Bazaar branches or CVS and Subversion repositories
 * help translate software
 * contribute ideas and specifications to free software projects, then track their progress
 * ask for and offer help with free software
 * build and host Ubuntu packages
 * register your own project and make its binaries available for download.

Of course, you can pick and choose which parts of Launchpad interest you.

= Managing your account =

Here are some of the things you might want to do when you first join Launchpad:

 * [[YourAccount/NewAccount|Create and personalise your account]]
 * [[YourAccount/ImportingYourPGPKey|Import an OpenPGP key]]
 * [[YourAccount/CreatingAnSSHKeyPair|Import your SSH keys]]
 * [[YourAccount/Karma|Learn about Launchpad karma]]
 * [[YourAccount/OpenID|Log into other websites using OpenID through Launchpad]]
 * [[YourAccount/ContactingPeople|Contacting people and teams in Launchpad]]

If you have more than one account, you may want to [[YourAccount/Merging|merge two or more accounts]].
 
And we'd hate to see you leave but, if you need to, you can also [[YourAccount/Closing|close your account]].

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