I am new to node.js but am excited to try it out. I am using Express as a web framework, and Jade as a template engine. Both were easy to get setup following this tutorial from
I know this is an old post, but in case anyone else stumbles upon it, I created a tutorial using most of the OP's components, especially the connection to the database. It does have some added complexity with the use of Backbone.js, but it is all in good fun!
http://fzysqr.com/2011/02/28/nodechat-js-using-node-js-backbone-js-socket-io-and-redis-to-make-a-real-time-chat-app/