You'll find that the two smokers are completely different, altogether. That's why the el cheapo Brinkman is one of the most popular items on craigslist.
I'd suggest using the procedures, ie Minion Method, on the Virtual Bullet site and go from there. (Personally, even on short cooks, I prefer to always have some unlit on the bottom with wood underneath the lit coals.) Study how Chris' cooks went, and notice how he'd have to stir the coals on long cooks. He recommends Kingsford, and it's good and cheap. Just tap the cooker legs every few hours as insurance against ash suffocation, but that's not the cooker's fault. IMHO, for the wsm to be a "set it and forget it" cooker at it's best, use a low ash briquette like Stubbs, and water in the pan. I hear that Royal Oak briquettes are similiar.
Your cooker door will probably benefit from a little shaping to get a better seal. It's really easy, though. You can check to see if you're cooker is nice and tight for better temp control with a flashlight or just seeing if you can extinguish the coals quickly with all the vents shut. The tighter the better, and if there's any "out of round" condition with the lid, bowl, or middle section, that's no problem. You'll probably eventually drop the lid and need to tweak it a little, anyway. Speaking of care, it's a smoker, so don't get carried away keeping it clean. Mainly focus on the inside of the dome so you don't get the flaking on your meat. Knock the crud off your grates, but leave a little grease on to help prevent rust. I could go on, but I hope that helps. Have fun with it, and remember that there are lots of different ways to get good bbq.
