Rubik's Cube

A friend recently got a bunch of Rubik's cube, as well as a solution guide. I decided to try the cube by myself. Did not want to "cheat" and read the solution. That initially got me 1 side solved. Got lucky and solved a second side. I figure it is time to analyze this thing and come up with some techniques to solve the whole thing.

One good start is to get one side solved. However that is not enough. Each side adjacent to the solved side must also have the common squares in the correct order. That way you can solve a second or third side without having to move the pieces on the first side. That's the way I want to proceed with my hack. I want to figure out a way to manipulate some cube faces without messing up a side that I have already solved.