I have.. I've got all the gear, only problem is .. I still have no idea, hopefully this site will help me take some acceptable photo's in the future.

Step 1 : Learn to compose first
Peep into magazines and excellent photographs; think why those clicks impressed you and the world.
Find similar subjects and look through the eye pieces/display and try to frame in a way that gives you more comfort
Try shooting stuffs on your desktop
Put the Camera in auto mode if you are not familiar with other modes and what they are meant for.

Step 2 : Exposure/Shutter control
Just imagine the speed of the shutter understand how much does 1/3000th of a second means
Take your camera lie down flat on your bed and shoot you ceiling fan, and play with the shutter speed, freeze the fan, try and action shot
Check the brightness of the image as you increase and decrease the shutter speed
Be creative
Use the Tv or shutter priority mode of camera for this.
Increase and decrease ISO to compensate the brightness of the image check the quality of the image in your computer as you increase ISO. Lesser ISO value the better the image quality.

Step 3 : Depth of Field
Find some images which have a blurred foreground or background, observe what DOF ultimately gives the viewer.
Aperture is the opening of the lens which allows light to pass through, hence lenses with bigger Aperture the better. So Lenses with low aperture will need more light
Higher aperture increases the sharpness of the subject and blurs the rest, especially background
As you lower your aperture, sharpness spread to the whole image you are composing, and the cost you have to pay is in terms of light.
Try again compensating it with ISO, as always check the quality as you increase ISO.

Step 4 : Full Manual mode
If you succeed in the above three and you master the controls of the camera you use, you will for sure look for this mode.

Folks, this is just an attempt to help, and its not a complete guide, read the camera manual, practice is what helps ultimately, for that you need time and patience. I am also a beginner and I started with a Minolta film camera which fascinated me and then i bought a Sony P100 digital point and shoot which really took me into the comfort of going digital and from then I moved to Canon 400D within three years it really pushed me into the limits and now I am using Canon 5D Mark II with 24-105mm L IS USM and Canon 100-400 L IS USM. I mostly click wildlife, birds, portrait and landscapes.

Hope this information will help you.

Feel free to post.