Welcome to SRP. I'm working the other way around from you, going from razors to knives. Hope you don't mind if I PM you some knife questions from time to time.

You've got some good questions. I don't strop after my shaves and have not had any ill effects over the years but stropping afterwards to 'dry the edge' is fine if you want to. Stropping before each shave will give you the best shave your current edge can provide. I look at stropping as removing the burrs from honing and shaving. The cloth/canvas gets the larger burrs off and the leather puts the finishing touch on the burs and edge. Best to experiment and see what works best for you. I look forward to your future questions and suggestions from your perspective.