This depends on the smoker. For instances, if it's a porcelain egg type smoker that has a seal. I read that you don't want to do that. The first couple of times, you want to keep it below 400F otherwise you may end up with issues with the seal. At least that is what I read when I got mine. Though, I smoke stuff around 250-275F so. (smoked a brisket this weekend) I intended to make wood fired pizzas in the future and for that, it's best to be 600-700F and the pizza cooks in just a few minutes.
As for wood, get a lot of different types of wood. For chicken, turkey and like meats. Fruit woods are best (apple, cherry, etc). Using hickory, oak, or mesquite do not work well with birds. Pork you can use most woods, though some aren't as good on pork.
While I do like mesquite in some cases. Many people consider it the most acrid of all the smoking woods. It has a strong and distinct flavor. I think there is a time and place for it. If you do use it. Start slow. If you use a lot of mesquite smoke on something. You might come to find it inedible. I have seen it happen. So use caution when you first try mesquite.