This probably won't apply so much to deadlifts and squats, but if you're going into Olympic-style lifts, overhead squats and the like, you're probably going to want to find a place with rubber bumper plates. Once you start lifting heavy enough, it starts to get taxing on the system putting the bar back into starting position, esp. with a heavy snatch or something like that. With bumper plates you can drop the bar and step back. The rubber plates absorb the shock, nothing breaks apart and no little bits of concrete fly anywhere. If you were to drop a bar loaded with iron/metal plates, bad things are generally going to happen, especially if the bar's loaded with 95 pounds of weight.

I am also totally not qualified to talk about form, but the one thing I've had drilled into my head by three different people (all of whom have stood by me poking me with a stick while lifting, saying 'you're doing this wrong') is keep your back arched, chest up and stick your butt out, especially on squats and deadlifts.

awwww this series is so awesome, if I had read this at a younger age I would've so totally invaded the free weights room back then