If your immediate problem is that it rubs the brake pads, make sure your wheel is propperly mounted in the dropouts before you dink with the spokes. You probably already checked that, but just to be sure...
There is a lot of advice above and it soounds kind of confusing- don`t lose hope. It might be a good idea to check SB`s page or Park Tool and just follow one method. Honestly, I usually just tighten and only loosen when it looks to be necesarry. That said, I`m not an expert in this field- I`ve been doing it for my own wheels for a few years and it seems to work for me, but my technique may not be what the real experts would recomend. For occasional truing, I wouldn`t mess with a truing stand- I don`t want to spend the money and don`t really want something else taking up precious space. Whatever you do, good luck with your personal "wheel study" course. It`s a good thing to know even if you need to call in the calvary at times.