http://www.secondlife.com is the most obvious choice: Register, login, download the client, ready to go and meet your nOOb avatar. Second Life usually suggests that new members teleport directly to the Orientation Island in order to get an handle on the platform' affordances. People have gotten frustrated and lost.
There's better: NMC Orientation.
Go to the NMC Campus wiki (http://sl.nmc.org/wiki/Main_Page). Click on "Join the NMC Campus".
The link get you to the NMC Campus Observer blog (http://sl.nmc.org) where you can create your SL account and join the NMC community at the same time.
All free. This really is very useful as the NMC Campus will not recognize your avatar if you want to teleport on the NMC island for conferences, workshops or even exploring.
Both sites have lots and loads of info on how to get started in SL, how to personalize your avatar, suggestions for class or group meetings on NMC campus, how to use the NMC campus, teachers workshops, video and other resources, etc.
Back to the beginning: you want some sort of non-stressful orientation experience: NMC Campus has its orientation island (read about it at http://sl.nmc.org/wiki/Orientation_Island, then teleport there)
Do realize that the SL platform is primarily set up for exploratory learning. So you might find some help here and there (look into Groups, attend events and IM people, etc..., people are very helpful inworld), but you will develop familiarity with the world only by doing (yes, the learning by doing theory thing). So one can show you how to fly, how to search for freebies, how to do basic scripting, etc...However, you will develop a "SL-sense" only as you explore and try.
No matter what, don't panic (unless you've got a room full of people watching you crash...ok, even then.) Things will happen, your avatar will start swimming under ground, you'll teleport someplace and your avatar shows up with her hair on her butt, you'll try a new face and can't get the word "demo" off your face for a week....oh, well, keep a journal and publish it under "The funniest moments in my avatar's life." Technically speaking: log off. Go get yourself a cup of coffee. Log back in.
Happy SLing,
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