After I have cut a clip to erase some of the content, the following clip does not automatically join to it....it leaves a space...how do I avoid having to pull all the following clips forward....is there an easy way to join all clips
Use Ctrl + Del to delete the part you do not want and close the gap.
Alternatively for the start or end of a clip you can position the timeline cursor at the point where the cut is to be made and press the D or U key respectively and close the gap at the same time. (This assumes you have not changed the shortcut keys functions)
For a list of keyboard shortcuts see the installed pdf manual.