Looking for an alternative

Hello All,
I was following the Complete Drupal 6 Ultimate Community Site Guide, but sadly got caught up at the part about using Panels to make custom user profiles, as it was outdated and the configurations/directions were off. I do see that Panels has a pre-installed "user profile" Panel, but I am not sure which of the options I choose when adding the first variant. Could anyone instruct me on which variant needs to be added at first....

Selection rules
Contexts

Are either of those needed? Perhaps someone has had a similar issue and used this pre-made panel instead?

Also, would anyone know of another guide that provides a full overview (private messaging system, etc) that is up-to-date? As my knowledge increases I believe I could throw something together myself, but I have found the guides have been most helpful in not only the creation of sites, but learning Drupal in general.

Thanks
Devon