GIMP Experts!

I need to fade some JPGs to use as background and I am trying to use the various descriptions of how to  do this that are out of the WWW.  None actually work with GIMP 2.8. This one says to:

Add a Layer Mask

1. Open up the Layers menu [CTRL][L]. If you're opening just a basic jpeg or png there should be just one layer at this point.
2. In the Layers menu, right click on the layer and select Add Layer Mask.
3. Make sure White (full opacity) is selected and click Add. You should see a white box show up next to the thumbnail of your image in the Layers menu.

but there is no Add Layer Mask command.

This one describes exactly what I am trying to do:

Add a layer using the layer dialog box. It doesn't matter which color it is, because you will be filling it.

How? I can create a new layer, but then how does this next step appear?

Decide on the color that you want the image to fade into. Use the bucket fill tool to fill the empty layer with it. A light blue will be used here.

How do I select the new layer? It appears that there should be a Layers tab.  How do I make it appear?  Ctrl-L!

Not enough.  I suspect the people writing these things are leaving out steps or relying on settings in GIMP that are not default after installation.

UPDATE: Much simpler and it works!