Tutorials/Things not to do

Most tutorials are about what to do. This is about what not to do.

Don't dig a one block hole straight down
This one is fairly straightforward. If you mine the block you're standing on, you're quite likely to fall straight into a cave system and take falling damage/be killed by mobs, dig into lava and lose all your items or fall into a dungeon and be massacred. Notch has even added a splash text to this effect. It is always much safer to mine in a staircase pattern, or simply to find an open-mouth cave on the surface.

A 2x1 hole straight down is still not great nor totally safe but it will reduce the problem significantly, since you won't have to stand on the block that you're removing.

Note: If you happen to find a cave this way, it would be wise to go back to the surface and get better supplies if you have not got the them with you as the odds of coming across a dungeon are higher than most think. Otherwise, if you are just digging a hole, build a wall around the hole you're digging to prevent hostile mobs from falling in and continue on your way.

Digging straight down often leads to getting stuck in the hole you've dug, because it is difficult to get back up.

Don't dig straight up
This isn't quite so obvious. However, if you mine the block above of you, you can release all sorts of nasty things directly on top of you. Gravel, sand, water, lava can all kill you by suffocation, drowning, or burning. Placing torches underneath where you dig up can prevent suffocation, but you may still drown or burn. Placing ladders, if you have any, will protect against everything.

Don't try to kill creepers without a bow
Creepers aren't quite like other monsters, as they explode when they get close to you. This means that you should get a Bow and kill them from a distance. You should only attack them with a melee weapon if there is no other choice. If you do, try hit-and-run tactics on them.

Don't venture outside during your first night
Unless you are an experienced player or are on Peaceful mode, venturing outside during the night is suicidal. You will easily be killed by Mobs.

Don't eat food if you don't need to
Eating a cooked porkchop or mushroom soup to heal half a heart is a waste of food. They should be used to heal heavy damage, unless you have so much food that your chests cannot hold it, or there are pigs everywhere, then feel free to chomp on porkchops all you want.

Don't mine valuable blocks with low level equipment
If you don't have an Iron pickaxe (or Diamond for Obsidian), then Redstone, Gold, Diamond, and Obsidian won't drop their valuable contents. Instead, they'll just be destroyed. A good indication is the amount of time it takes for them to appear to be destroyed. If you have been mining a block for more than 10 seconds (with the exception of Obsidian, for which you should wait 15), then it is unlikely to drop resources when destroyed.

Don't mine low-value blocks with valuable equipment
Diamonds are worth their weight in... well, diamonds. Using your diamond sword to hack through the ground will save you no time at all, and will notch the sword a little more every time. Pretend that every diamond you have is the last one you will ever have - plan for the worst, be pleasantly surprised by everything non-bad that happens.

Do not play with fire
This is a no brainer. Fire and Wood results in more fire! Although as of Beta 1.6, forest fires no longer burn indefinitely, they no longer leave any wood standing. This can destroy chunks of forests, as well as accidentally burning down part of your house. As Smokey the bear says: "Only you can prevent forest fires."

Do not build an unused large wall around your house
If built correctly, walls can be used as excellent defenses and sniping points. However, if not built correctly, they are useless, and spiders can get over. To deter spiders, make the wall 4 blocks high with an overhang on the outer side. Spiders cannot climb through overhangs and cannot jump higher than 3 blocks. The overhanging blocks can be spaced one block apart laterally, as spiders are slightly larger than 1 block wide.

Do not build a flammable house
Planks, logs, leaves (trees), wool, and bookcases are all highly flammable and susceptible to explosion damage. All will be blown up by a creeper mercilessly, which would leave you with no protection from mobs. Cobblestone is a cheap, abundant alternative. Dirt may also be used, but only as a last-ditch effort, as it is very susceptible to explosions. Note that oftentimes rain cannot extinguish a fire started by lightning so wooden structures are vulnerable to thunderstorms.

Try to avoid using primitive tools
Planks have better uses than tool crafting, and should only be used as such when there is no alternative or when you are just starting. The same applies for cobblestone, and then iron. As you progress down this line towards the final option, diamond, you should find enough of each resource to create the specific type of tool. You should use golden tools only if you need fast gathering of resources. Gold is a soft metal, so it should only be used if there is nothing else and you need to mine something quick.

When you start, you should make a wooden pickaxe, mine 3 stone blocks, and immediately make a stone pickaxe before anything else, since a stone pickaxe is capable of faster, more efficient mining.

Don't try to kill mobs in the nether
Ghasts are tough to kill even with the help of a bow, and since zombie pigmen travel in groups, they are notoriously hard to kill as well. Do not venture into the nether without some armor and a bow. Make sure you have flint and steel in your inventory as well, as ghasts can put out your portal. A good way to avoid battle with ghasts is to build a bunker around the portal and any settlements.

Don't build TNT traps out of dirt
It is time consuming to rebuild dirt traps. Instead, try a more explosion-resistant material, such as obsidian. Cobblestone also works, but some blocks will be destroyed.

Don't use other tools for damaging mobs
Carry a sword with you until you craft a bow. Other tools may damage mobs, but they are inefficient, and will take more damage from the attacks.

Don't re-fuel minecarts
When adding a new piece of coal to a powered minecart, it wastes the amount of fuel remaining in the cart. Minecarts will run for ~4 minutes on a straight track with one unit of coal, so remember to let the fuel run out before re-fueling.

Don't leave gaps in your shelter
You've got a shelter. Shelters protect you from the outside world. Unless your shelter requires the outside to, well, be a shelter...don't leave gaps. Who knows what might get inside...

Don't set off TNT from up close
TNT explosions are deadly from close by, especially chains of explosives set up. Whenever possible, use redstone wiring and detonate from a distance to ensure safety. If you accidentally misplace a TNT block, place a water block over it. This will stop block damage but NOT player/mob damage. Although, in the latest Beta 1.7 update, it is no longer possible to set off TNT by using your hand.

Don't make a fireplace in a wood house
Fireplaces look very nice, especially in homes made of logs or planks. However, you are discouraged to do so, because of the chance of the fire spreading. You can, however build a fireplace and make sure no flammable blocks are around (at least two blocks away.) As of Beta 1.6, fires don't grow forever, but fire can still destroy a good chunk of your home.

Don't place a bed right next to an outside wall
If you sleep in a bed that is adjacent to a wall, hostile mobs can get through and attack you in the night. One way to fix this is to make your walls two thick.

Don't kill pigs with a sword if you have flint and steel
If you're already carrying flint and steel while you're pig hunting, save yourself some time and cook the pork on location by setting the ground under the pig on fire. You'll save coal and time you would have spent cooking it, and a flint and steel costs less to make and has fewer uses than your trusty iron or diamond sword. Be careful not to set fire to yourself, or to try it on pigs near water; if the pig extinguishes himself, he will not drop cooked porkchops when re-lit. Try and set as many on fire at a time to maximize efficiency, and watch out for wooden houses or trees.

Don't feed your dog anything other than raw porkchops
You can feed a tamed wolf any food item, but only porkchops will heal him. Anything else is a waste, especially if the food is rare like an apple or cookie. They are healed the same amount for cooked or raw porkchops so if it's already cooked, save it for yourself. If you have a lot of raw meat taking up your inventory and no time to waste cooking it, this is the ideal time to heal your pooch. Stop feeding him if his tail-angle is above horizontal.