Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
This is an extremely long guide, reaching the character limit for a regular forum post (65k). It may be appropriate to GP the two sections individually. If anyone wants to take this, don't hesitate to contact me about anything at all. This intends to replace an on-site guide from 2008 that's severely outdated.