I wrote something about this as an addendum to the "JAA PPL in US" thing I wrote. It's one of the stickies in the Private Flying forum.
Position and Hold vs. Line up and Wait has been mentioned. The other things is conditional landing clearances: "You are number three behind the Warrior on base and the Cessna on short final. Cleared to land."
Read up on what "Flight Following" exactly means and how to request it. It's a bit better than a RIS. Also read up on how to make the best use of WX-BRIEF.