Congrats on your purchase and welcome

Your issues are not uncommon for a beginner so lets go through them...

Quote Originally Posted by parkbobo View Post
Doesn't stick to print bed properly - I took some advice from youtube videos and just put Elmers Purple School Glue on the print bed, works great
I don't know anything about the M3D printer so I would have to ask whether or not it has a heated bed. If yes then it would behove you to invest in a glass sheet to use as build platform and coat it with hairspray. If not then you should cover the platform with blue painters tape.

NOTE: If using a glass sheet be sure to put a shim of equal thickness under z end stop.

Quote Originally Posted by parkbobo View Post
Shifting and stuff - something that is supposed to be straight is completely shifted and tilted.
The printer will only do as commanded by the program. Shifting and tilting prints are the result of not mastering platform adhesion.

Quote Originally Posted by parkbobo View Post
Doesn't stick to raft - causes a big plasticky mess

Extrusion - Running PLA at 240 C, sometimes filament literally just wont't extrude
Woah!! PLA extrudes at approximately 200 C. You will ruin your PTFE tubes by running PLA that hot. Again, a good guide line for PLA: extruders at 200C, heated bed at 60C.

Quote Originally Posted by parkbobo View Post
fragile - my halfway completed prints are flimsy as hell
Master the above first. You will need to calibrate you extruder too but I don't really know much about M3D printers, it may be the same as other printers though.

Give us a bit more info about your setup i.e. slicer, filament type and brand, printer specs, object to be printed, etc...