Normally the term macrophotography refers to images in which the subject is presented at a ratio greater than 1 to 1, so bigger than lifesize. It could be compared to looking at a subject through a magnifying glass. On a digicam however, macro mode refers to the possibility to get very close, though not strictly on a 1 to 1 ratio, although some cameras can get extremely close to a subject while others merely use the zoom function to magnify it and fill the frame.
There are a few things to consider if you want to achieve really good macro shots. For a start, focusing will be very critical as at such close distances depth of field will only be a few millimeters. Therefore subject and camera should be parallel to eachother and a small aperture should be used. As a consequence, shutter speeds will be quite slow, so arrange for some kind of support like a tripod or some other stable platform.
To minimize camerashake, it is best to use the self-timer. as well.
Using the in-camera flash should be avoided. Its light is usually too harsh and will cause overexposure. It is much better to use some form of natural lighting. A north facing window on a cloudy day will yield very even soft lighting, while a piece of white cardboard can lighten the shadows or provide soft lighting by acting as a fill-in reflector.