What to know getting into Persona/Order to play

PLEASE NO SPOILERS. I’m about 17 hours into persona 3 reload, though i’ve known of the series for a while it is my first persona game and i have completely fallen in love with this game. So, my questions are: -what order should i play the games in? -is there anything glaring i should know or just uncommon tips i should know? -is there any games i should skip? -What’s the difference between Persona and Shin Megami Tensei?