i'll try and do a bit of an answer as i have been involved in photography since i was about 12 - started out with a 35mm manual slr, learned to develop my own photos, ran the university photo club whilst at uni, moved onto a nikon f3 camera and finally have finished up with a digital slr (so no more dark rooms and absolutely stinking of chemicals)...
I'd start by going out and just taking lots of photos, you'll soon get an idea of what is working and what is not when you look at them when you get home, as a digital camera often tells you the speed and f numbers that you shot at you can then work out what was working best for the light conditions. A lot of photography comes with experience.
A good site is
http://www.photo.net - lots of amateurs and pros use this site, there are lots of very good tips, some very good portfolios (some bad portfolios as well) - and you can learn from viewing others portfolios and learning how they took a photo (both myself and gades have portfolios on this site but mine hasnt been touched for about 2 years as i have gone back contracting etc and have had no time).
Good books - I went back to basics and bought the Ansell Adams books - he is one of my favourite photographers and though he was not a digital person a lot of his stuff on lighting, composition etc holds, and I am a great believer in learning the basics first. I have both the The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography and The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography Book 2
