Well I'm brand new to this place, and not an expert. But rather than just tell you to go look elsewhere, I'm happy to share my thoughts with you.

1. Look at the airports that are near your hotel, and what airlines service them. This is seldom talked about, but don't try to earn delta points if delta doesn't fly out of your home airport. Not a huge problem if you live near a major airport.

2. Pick 1 or more credit cards, and put all your spending on them. Utility bills, small purchases, whatever you can.

3. Ask lots of questions. I can pretty much guarantee that any question you have has already been asked, but that's actually to the detriment of newbies like you and me. I can search for hours and I find great answers to questions I don't have. Info overload. So, if you don't find your answer in 5 mins, ask the question. You'll get some crankpots telling you that question has been answered, and how easily they can find it, but ask anyway if YOU can't find the answer.