The canned builds aren't really that great. Manual building is definitely more effective. You REALLY want to use a character planner, though. Window shopping for feats and enhancements when you level up does not work.
This is the planner that pretty much everyone uses.
As for starter hints, a lot depends on what sort of toon you like- caster, melee, support, self-sufficient, what-have-you… A wizzy is fairly simple to build and run, but you won't be very self-sufficient until later in the game. A two handed fighter (as in two-handed weapons like great axes) is also fairly simple to put together. Unless you invest a lot of money into the game up front, you'll be doing a 28-point build, which makes some of the more "exotic" classes and builds more challenging to do effectively. Clerics are always welcome additions, but if you don't have a support mentality you're likely to be frustrated with the lack of offense (or the lack of ability at the "core" healing function if you try to force some offense into your build). Since I know you like to explore based on your LOTR posts, you might find a rogue fun—getting into all the locked/hidden/trapped areas is quite nice— but you lose a lot if you play them as a front-line melee. It really depends on how you like to play your toons.
Of the basic classes (aka "free"), I would avoid barbarian, bard, paladin, ranger, and sorceror. They can be very fun to play but aren't necessarily Noob-friendly for various reasons. Well, on second thought, a tempest ranger (basically a 2-weapon melee, as opposed to a bow-n-arrow type) might not be bad to cut your teeth on, so scratch ranger off that "no-go" list. Tougher to do right than a fighter, but still very viable if you're a Disciple of the Pointy Stick like me (says the guy who currently has 4 non-melee toons, a monk, and a bard--I have much shame)