I have read through a few posts, and the newb guide, and still some concepts are just out of my reach.

I have played a couple of games, and I just can't keep up with the AI. The AI somehow out paces me on colony ships, and has a bunch of auxillary ships to boot.

1) What build order for the home planet should I use?
2) So far I have been just purchasing colony ships because of the cost of planetary improvements. Is this a viable strategy?
3) Is technology not that important in the opening stages?
4) What is the most important thing to build on new colonies?
5) What is the minimum planet lvl that I should colonize when the game is starting out.
6) Any other hints/tips for getting started would be appriciated.