Cider advice-- valid?

While I had plannned to make an ale as my first batch, I hapeened accross a friend who's father is pressing cider (that's raw apple juice to you English folks) this weekend and can get me 5 gallons for almost nothing. So I thought I'd give hard cider a try. Unpasturized, no additives.

So I was at my local Homebrew shop and spoke to the folks there about doing a cider.

Their advice was to first mix in some tabs of campden and let the mixture rest overnight. Then add wyclef mead/wine yeast and let ferment.

They asked if I wanted it to carbonate and when I indicated that I didn't know, they suggested that I think about it for the first week of fermenting to stop back when I'd decided.

So-- I've got questions, naturally, now that I'm at home.

1) is the advice I got valid?

2) is a secondary ferment a good idea and when shoudl I do it?

3) Carbonation--- should I? If I do what does that add to my process?

Fortunately, I don't have the cider yet so I have time to think about it before I proceed.

from what I've read, you might do well to just let the fresh cider do its own thing. as in, don't add anything. naturally occurring yeast (albeit slower than a hot yeast injection) has been rumoured to yield a lovely and exciting cider. If it's almost free, give it a shot:

cider into fermentor

airlock

wait.

use a hydrometer to check its progress. if SG gets below 1, you're done.

also, fly a helicopter and bake a pizza.

the way the home brew show said to do it, is how most of us do cider. i would suggest going by the way they said. im on my first one and its how Im doing it currently.

Their advise is good. The problem with waiting for wild yeasts is all too often molds and bacteria get there first. If you don't want to spring for cider yeast, use Cooper's.