Beginner's Guide to Solving the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube

Step 1: Building the cross

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What is the cross? Is the cube some sort of new religion? Heres an example of a cross as it relates to the cube:

Now that doesn't look too hard, does it? Why don't you give it a try.
I would suggest practicing until you can do it fluently, with few stops. Proceed to Step 2: First layer corners if you think you are ready.

Tips for beginners

So you tried, and you just can't seem to get the edges into those positions. A good starting place is getting into a position like this:

If you can get to there, good job! You are nearly finished. All you have left to do is to move around the pieces until they are all in the correct places. Turn the top side until 2 edges match up with the side colors.
Find the set of moves that matches your case (maybe not your colors) below:

The first case has two edges switched, which are not adjacent. The second case has two adjacent edges switched. Make sure to turn your cube and put the switched edges in the same positions as the shown cases.
If everything went ok, your cross should be finished and you should be ready for Step 2: First layer corners.

If you have any comments on improving this guide for beginners, email me at pjgat09@gmail.com with [WEB] in the subject. (Beginners: your suggestions are very welcome!)