I need general advice on shooting night sky photos?

I have a Nikon D3100 18-55mm lens. I just wanted to know what settings I should be using for photos of the night sky. To capture star trails or something of that nature.

* tripod
* use the 18 mm focal length
* get as far away from civilization as possible to avoid light pollution
* use a remote shutter release.
* frame the shot to compose the foreground for the best look

This site will tell you everything you need to know about shooting star trails:

http://www.danheller.com/star-trails