I dl smart ftp just to try it out and see what it is.. xP I can log in and everything, but what does it do and how do i use it?

You log in and it shows you your folders (located on the server you're using), the one that displays your website and content to people is usually called: PUBLIC_FTP or something like that.

You're then allowed to open another little window thing to access files that have been saved on your computer (css, etc) and drag it over to the other side, so it'd show up online.