If you haven t already tried Twitter, you ve probably heard a fair bit about it in recent months. What is Twitter? In a nutshell, it s a free system that lets you share brief text messages with friends and strangers alike and also follow other Twitter users to learn what they re saying.

The short messages really are short: 140 characters is the maximum. But many users are finding plenty to say within those limits, and many messages include links to content on the web.

Here s a quick guide to getting started with Twitter.

1. Go to Twitter s home page at www.twitter.com and sign up for a free account. You ll choose a name that will identify you on Twitter. Some people choose to use their name; others go by nicknames.

2. Find some other users to follow. For instance, to follow along with SmartMoney s look back at how the financial crisis unfolded, visit the Twitter page for our reports at www.twitter.com/ReliveTheCrashFor more ideas on Twitter users to follow, see our report from earlier this year, Using Twitter to Make Smarter Money Moves

3. Start tweeting yourself. Let your friends know that you re on Twitter and type out messages to share your thoughts (which can include links to material on the Web you find interesting).