Okay, so this probably doesn't count as a proper post since its going to be pretty dry on actual how to use your camera, however it may be one of the more important posts, and before we start discussing specific techniques, it's best to set up your camera just how you like it.
I believe it is often under stressed how important it is to know your camera like the back of your hand, know what all your buttons do and what'll happen if you press one of them. It'll help you grab that perfect photo if time is of the essence, and even if it isn't, it'll make the experience much more enjoyable, not only that, but if shooting portraits it'll also make you look much more professional!
As this is a very general guide on all DSLRs it's incredibly hard to tell you what every button does, and there's no better way to learn you camera than camera than to sit down with your camera manual, have a look at all the buttons, and find out what the mystery buttons do! And have a scroll through your menus and learn what each option and sub-option allows you to do, it'll have you taking much better photos before you've even looked through the viewfinder (if you find yourself asking what the viewfinder is, take a look at your manual before continuing!).
Generally speaking though, you'll have your rear buttons, with buttons such as Menu, Playback (for viewing pictures and videos), Delete, Video Record, Navigation Keys and a wealth of other buttons. More expensive cameras tend to have more buttons externally whereas entry-level DSLRs often have more of this manual control contained within the menu.
On the top of the camera you are likely to find your Mode dial (allowing you to choose your automatic or manual picture taking settings), on/off switch (although this is often contained elsewhere) and the big button of magic which allows you take photos.
Get to know all these buttons. What do they do? Maybe they don't appear to do anything, a lot of the buttons you see allow you to change custom functions which you can't access in the automatic modes, as you start to read through this manual more and more of the buttons will become useful to you, so get out your manual and find out what to do with them.
If you're still at a complete loss whilst there are books and DVDs you can buy to show you how to use your specific camera, the internet contains huge amounts of resources, most particularly YouTube, this is a great resource and can often clarify many queries before your user manual.
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