I started playing a few months ago as a complete begininer and started with Guitar Tricks straight away and it seems to be working for me so far.
You tube is also pretty good for finding songs you want to play and seeing how people play, some lessons are reduced to very basic chords for beginners which , although not 100% accurate, do the job for learning and practicing.
Regarding a guitar to buy:
I started on a very cheap borrowed acoustic with a thick neck that didnt keep in tune, but bought a reasonable acoustic a few weeks in, with a neck the same size as an electric.
I would say that learning on an acoustic is better for these reasons:
1) Its harder on your fingers to play chords etc, I think this is something you want, to get your fingers stronger more quickly.
2) Its easier to just pick up the guitar and play a couple of things your're learning at the time without all the wiring up (especially if you need to go into another room to play) I have tried Just picking up the electric without wiring it up and although I dont really play electric much, I feel I play it too hard when unplugged, electrics are much more sensitive and need to be played softer (ie let the pickups and amp do the work)
3) I "think" its would be better for ear training, I have zero previous experience and couldnt hear the difference between most chords when I started, but I would think an acoustic would be better for this?