I am just getting started with the whole "modding" thing. The amount of mods available and how to get them to work is pretty extensive.

Obviously, everyone has there own opinions on which mods are best, but I was wondering whether or not there were any standard/general mods that would enhance the overall experience that I could get started with?

You could start by explaining what is "standard/general experience" for you? Some people find gameplay or quest changes/addons general and must have, some people find body replacers as such.

As a rule of thumb, 99% of the players use Better Bodies and Better Clothes which really improves appearance of NPCs and your own PC by a huge magnitude. That's all I can really offer without you explaining more about what you would want

Understandable, sorry for the vagueness.

I meant one that will make Morrowind "look prettier", for example. One that doesn't affect gameplay necessarily, but just improves the overall look.

I guess I was just trying to get a "general idea" of what most people's recommended mods would be.

I have recently discovered a replacer called http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34510. This one just makes the standard vanilla textures clearer and crisper without making them huge FPS svcking monuments to modeling. Personally, I would like to see more of these. Not because I'm against progress, but because I like to add people and creatures and that means I have to make a choice to keep my game playable. I think there is definitely room for improvement of statics and miscellaneous items *without* exponentially increasing polys and mesh/texture sizes.

The problem is there are many options. Although this is not a problem. Options are great. You can want a colorful Morrowind or darker, maybe natural. There are mods for everyone's taste. If you can't find it, mod your own.

Download counts can give an idea.(false or not)
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/fms/TopRated.php?content=mods

Most mods can work like overlays so picking a base and installing on it if you see something better is great!

I like Windows Glow 2.2, TLM, changing faces and Connary's textures. Vurt's grass mods and AI tree mod would be the first thing I would install. Installing them onto something like Visual XT will make a huge change. And off course MGE(adding some post process shaders like SSAO, Gimp, Sunshafts can turn the game into Crysis. )

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1120092-povuholos-morrowind-2010-graphics-and-sounds/

This is pretty recent and you may like what you see there.

Start with fixing the game.
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1110304-povuholos-morrowind-2010/

Use tools like Wrye Mash and MLOX. They help organizing mods a lot.

Thank you guys for all the help.

But I just don't know if this is my thing. The more I read, the more I realize that it is way, *WAY* more complicated than I thought.

Have a peruse through Pluto's http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1060141-mod-recommendations-for-new-players/.Start with the basics (the patches) and then play a bit. Decide what you ant to change (probably some graphical mods) and then look there for some lists.