What is the correct way to trim?

I've read all the stickys and searched google and read and heard many different thoughts of trimming, what do you consider the CORRECT way to do it?

Do you cut the fan leaves only?
Do you cut the fan leaves and any leaves poking out of the bud?
Do you cut fan leaves and any leaf that is more than 1/2 a cm long? how do you do it?

Also, can incorrect trimming affect smell?

What I do is first cut the fan leaves off. Then I take a pair of scissors and start triming all the leaves that stick out from the bud itself. I trim them back as far as i can. Almost touching the bud. I save these trimings for making hash later on. Not very hard at all. It's pretty easy to do. Just go to youtube and watch some videos on it. here's a quick one with a guy using electric scissors.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a-fy3PA1RU&feature=related

I do the same as M4A1..although.....some fan leaves will have trichs on them....easy to see in the light... 1st trim is to the point the trichs end(about 1-2" off the bud)....2nd trim is tight to the bud. I do both trims as soon as I cut the plant....but there is another school of thought that waiting until it dries slows the drying process giving better flavour. I only tried that once and felt like I was losing too many trichs trying to do the trimming at that point.. Drying time is a factor to consider...as too fast can give you harsher smoke and too slow can give you bud rot.... so you'll want to experiment to find what works best for you...
If it's just personal smoke and you won't get enough trim to make it worth making hash....I'd take all the fan leaves and trim the other leaves just to the point the trichs end and call it good.........

I also trim right away too. As soon as I chop the plant I am triming it up. I never liked the idea of waiting till it was dry. It's alot easier when the plant is still wet to trim then when dry(so I think).