diff --git a/08_install-introduce-self-git.Rmd b/08_install-introduce-self-git.Rmd
index 9ca1236..c7af2b5 100644
--- a/08_install-introduce-self-git.Rmd
+++ b/08_install-introduce-self-git.Rmd
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ substituting your name and **the email associated with your GitHub account**.
 
 From RStudio, go to *Tools > Shell* and tell Git your name and **GitHub email** by typing (use your own name and email):
 
+Note: If you are on Windows, check the title bar of the shell that was opened! If you see `cmd.exe` at the end of the status bar, this is the Windows Command Prompt. If you instead see `MINGW64` at the beginning, you have successfully opened Git Bash!
+
+Note: If you are **not** in an R Project that is version controlled with git, *Tools > Shell* will open Windows Command Prompt. If this is the case and RStudio still opens `cmd.exe`, check *Tools > Global Options > Git/SVN* and tick the box for "Use Git Bash as shell for Git projects". You may need to restart RStudio.
+
   * `git config --global user.name 'Jennifer Bryan'`
   
     - This does __NOT__ have to be your GitHub username, although it can be. Another good option is your actual first name and last name. Your commits will be labelled with this name, so this should be informative to potential collaborators.
diff --git a/10_connect-git-github.Rmd b/10_connect-git-github.Rmd
index 10ce793..1eff251 100644
--- a/10_connect-git-github.Rmd
+++ b/10_connect-git-github.Rmd
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ Make this new repo your working directory, list its files, display the README, a
 ``` bash
 cd myrepo
 ls
-less README.md
+head README.md
 git remote show origin
 ```
 
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ jenny@2015-mbp ~ $ cd myrepo
 jenny@2015-mbp myrepo $ ls
 README.md
 
-jenny@2015-mbp myrepo $ less README.md 
+jenny@2015-mbp myrepo $ head README.md 
 # myrepo
 tutorial development
 
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ git add -A
 git commit -m "A commit from my local computer"
 git push
 ```
+The `-m` flag is an important message that must be included with every commit! Git requires a commit message for every commit, so if you forget the `-m` flag, git will prompt you for a commit message anyways. It is good practice to write meaningful commit messages so in the future, potential collaborators (and your future self) will understand the progression of a project.
 
 This should look something like this: