As it's a collection of electrons, we can assume it has no smell. As for taste, getting struck with enough may make you taste metal in your mouth. And I can't believe you didn't even answer what it sounds like!

That was a gimme; it sounds like Thunder! Literally, Thunder is the sound Lightning makes; so easy... *shakes my head* It also has it's own distinct feel; imagine getting a shock, but a thousand times worse. Maybe a million... But that was good.

(When did I become the student?

)
Alright, so, before we begin, there are four basic types of Raiton techniques; Expulsion, Coating, Surge, and Striking. I'll explain how each of these work before we begin, so I can say "this is an Expulsion-type ration technique" and it'll cut down on the size of my posts, and make it easier for you to understand what's going on.
Expulsion - This is the "I shoot a bolt of lightning from my hand at you" type technique. Basically, any technique which involves you shooting lightning either from your hand, or your mouth, or something like that falls into the Expulsion category (makes sense, right?). Some expulsion techniques require that you only expel the lightning so far, which creates something like a whip or a sword.
Coating - Chidori ring a bell? Coating techniques are just what they sound like; they're techniques which require that you coat something, generally your own body, with lightning. Weather it's a part of your body, or your whole body, coating techniques are generally close-range, unless you're coating a projectile, or something.
Surge - So, surge techniques require you focus your Raiton chakra into the ground, and manipulate it from there. For example, there's a technique which causes boulders to fall after you if you're running up a mountain (yes, it does sound a LOT like a doton technique), and a technique which creates a triangle of lightning in the ground which shocks and burns anything touching it. These require contact with the ground.
Striking - There are only two striking jutsu I'm aware of; Lightning Fang and Kirin. From the sound of the name, it should be fairly obvious that these techniques call lightning down from the sky to strike an area on the ground. That's the basics of it.
Now, for how each type works. In generally, lightning chakra works by your chakra vibrating at speeds that it ionizes the air it's in contact with, which creates small, localized, and controllable bolts of lightning. Not that in battle it matters, but it's nice to know how it works.
Expulsion - Concentrate raiton chakra throughout your entire body, and then focus it to the point on your body where it's expelled from. Once the lightning is expelled into the air, you can control it for the specific jutsu from there (ie. hold the lightning close to make it a whip).
Coating - Concentrate raiton chakra to the point on your body where it'll be coating (or your hand if you're coating something else). Then, release the lightning overtop of what's being coated. From there, the only difference between coating jutsu is power, and localization (ie. only coating your hand for a Chidori, or a C-rank whole-body technique versus a D-rank whole-body technique).
Surge - You release your chakra into the ground, generally through your feet unless the jutsu says otherwise, and from there manipulate the lightning for the specific jutsu (ie. creating tendrils of lightning which travel through the ground versus creating a triangle of powerful, hot lightning energy).
Seeing as there are only a small number of striking techniques, I'll go over them specifically, as they each work differently from each other.
Now, that was a lot of reading. O_O If you understand everything I've said, and you're ready to move on, just make a post with any questions/comments/anything else you have to say about this and we'll continue. And just a note, you're the first person to be taught with my personal method of generalizing jutsu (with the four categories). Also, the categories are made up by myself, just now as I'm responding. xd I look forward to this.
