Write to mysql w/ ajax

goal: present user with form that they input their name and have it inserted into a table (mysql) and also displayed to the user right away without reloading the page.

the part im new to is ajax…php & mysql are not a problem and i can accomplish the above using no ajax but the “no reload” element then flies out the window.

any pointers or starting points to accomplish this?
im already going through some ajax tutorials, but mostly concentrate on extracting data from a db, not inserting as well (is this even possible?)