I can't seem to find the thread I originally thought of (Encasing clear in the 'around the world' method - I keep thinking Mary Lockwood or Kandice Seeber but I could be wrong). I also debated Kalera's amazing "ask me anything" thread, due to its awesome openness and quantity of information.
The other thread that I loved and was inspired by is The Blue Bead thread from 2005. Sara participated in some of the Chinese Auction games we had for a while there and so some of the players really were very involved and social with the other players - it made for some great connections and friendship bonds. Her thread was very helpful and sharing, and it reminds me of how consistently awesome LE has been from the beginning and over the many years.
For me, this thread is my favorite:
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235
People were still finding it for years and using it even after she passed away, which is a sort of bittersweet and yet awesome thing.
Tip: I'd call this more advice than a real tip. While I am a proponent of people exploring their creative side, I still think there needs to be a foundation. So, my advice is to learn how to handle the glass properly. See what it does, and learn to form your bead shapes with good holes. You can have a truly gorgeous bead, but if your hole is crooked and each end of the bead is malformed... it takes away from the bead. (My opinion.)