LOTRO

[#1]

I have just ordered this and it will be my first mmo. Can anyone give me a few tips to get started as I'm sure there will be so much to do I wont really know where to start...

[#2]

If truely your first MMO then you have a steep learning curve.
Basics theres always a few certain classes in a MMO, Healer/Tank/Damage dealer.  So the basics for in teams or fellowships as there called in this game.
Healer aka Minstrel in LOTR, as you might guess has the main job of keeping the team alive, or should say Keeping the Tank alive first then everyone else.
Tank aka Guardian in LOTR, usually has the best Defensive abilities and most Health so there main job is a meat shield they Hold agro of all monsters/attackers so the Team can then kill them safely.
Damage Dealers aka Champion / Hunter in LOTR, its there job to deal damage and kill the attackers quickly but not so quickly they Steal agro from the tank, that means the Healer having to heal what can be a lowish health player verses the Tank.
Then theres the support classes in LOTR, Captain / Loremaster and Burglar.
Captain is a support healer and damage with soem good team buffs/bonuses.
Loremaster is Damage and Crowd control, they can root/slow/stun atttackers making it easier for the team to deal with alot at one time, best to learn early on Do Not Hit Stunned attackers
Burglar is roughly the same more crowd control but also they trigger what are know as team attacks aka conjuctions in LOTR.  These give different benefits depending on the action of each player in the team when one is triggered.  Most just hit one colour usually red and dont try for the better conjunctions.
One major team issue in LOTR is Healing agro, if a Minstrel has to heal too many people at once, then they create more agro on the attackers than any damage dealer can dream of.  They then get the agro and 60% of the time will die which means a dead team most times without a healer.
So if you choose a damage dealer then learn the limits early on and you will have a good team experience if not a very bad one and bad in game reputation.
So in teams your job no mater what class you choose other than tank is to do Only just enough damage to Not steal the agro from the tank.