There's a ton of good information, and there's a ton of misinformation on here. My advice is to focus on keeping your first grow simple. Don't get caught up in advanced growing techniques on your first grow.
Start out with a soil grow, it's the most simple, and soil is a good buffer for beginner mistakes. Don't feel you have to go out and spend a zillion dollars on grow equipment either. You can easily get by with 3-4 CFL bulbs, a 5 gal bucket, and some good soil....hell, you can even go with Miracle Grow potting soil and skip all the added nutrient mistakes (click on the Happy Frog vs. Miracle Grow link in my signature) a beginner always makes.
Your goal on your first grow should be just to keep the plant alive until it's finished. For many this is an almost impossible task as the more we read, the more we want to fuck with the plant. Between you and the plant...it's the smartest one in the room on how to grow. It's your job to give it the correct lighting (18/6 in veg and 12/12 in flower), don't over-water it, and if you go with Miracle Grow....just sit back and watch it grow.
You will find yourself getting what I call "informational over-load" where you read often contradictory advice, and the more you read the more confused you'll get. I personally searched through the grow journals and found someone that had their shit together and asked them to be my mentor and that saved me a ton of pain and mistakes.