i heard you metion about how far to bend.
usually you want to bend the string until it is the same pitch as the next note in the scale. there are exceptions, but that's the best place to start.
i actually spent time playing a note, and then bending the next note lower to match the pitch, to make sure i was hitting it right.
it's worthwhile to do, i've heard guys that play well, but didn't put their time into their bends and it can be just as bad as playing a wrong note.