Welcome to FlyerTalk BillyJoeBob! If you could be more specific both in your Topic title and your post, perhaps we can offer some helpful advice. What type of upgrades are you referring to: airline, hotel, car rental, etc? What areas of "how to" do you need advice: earning, redeeming or procedural matters, etc? And in what specific programs?
Each program has its own set of rules, regulations, guidelines and procedures. There are some overall generalities but knowing where your interests or concerns are would allow us to focus on specifics thus providing more useful information.
There's a wealth of knowledge available on this board. Welcome aboard!