I'm no expert, but yes, your light was way too far from the plants. I usually keep mine 6-10 inches away from the light source.

The netting is called a "Trellis". I think some people call them SCROGS (something like that), but if you search for Trellis, you will find out where to buy them. You have to trim the top/tip part so the plant stops growing straight up and starts growing out from the left and right side. The trellis (netting) is used to help stablize the plant as it grows from both left and right sides. This way the plant will grow out and not up. Then you have a larger cola top.

Note: you may find some extra info here:

Pruning Cannabis: Growers Guide to Cannabis