Coffee Appreciation

I use the same equipment as Jim, but am not in the position to replace it, ie Bodum Cafetiere and a stovetop. I always do the following, rate my skillz.

Cafetiere

Put some coffee in the cafetiere (How much? I'm never sure)
Put fresh boiling water directly onto the coffee (Again, how much and can I 'scald' it?)
Plunge and lift the plunger, creating a whirling coffee-ground maelstrom
Leave it until I'm really hot for coffee (Maybe 4 minutes)
Guzzle thoughtlessly, maybe with a biscuit

Generally this leaves me with a not unpleasant buzz, but am I doing something that I could change to improve things? Ground coffee never seems to have any 'recommended dose' and there are no instructions with cafetieres, so I'd be interested to hear how an afficionado might approach my very limited equipment.

I don't use a cafetiere often any more but this is what I normally do:

Get a measuring spoon, they often come with catetieres but if not a tablesoon of coffee.
Water just pre boiled/just off the boil, pour on about a half a centimetre to 'bloom' coffee and leave for 45 seconds.
Pour the rest of water on, leave for about 30 seconds.
Plunge slowly and pour into cup (no maelstroming!!)
Guzzle thoughtfully, definitely with a biscuit.

This is for good quality, freshly gound coffee. If you're using pre ground then it won't make much difference!