Bored of Facebook? Then it might be time to check out Twitter! Yup, everyone from Barack Obama to Britney Spears is tweeting... and it's quick, fun and easy.

What is Twitter all about?

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that lets you share ideas, news and ask questions.

Twitter is great for those who want to have their say, but are not into the whole blogging thing — and for those who just want to get straight to the point.

The objective of Twitter is to let people know what you're up to and just leave it at that. You are asked to answer a simple question — "What are you doing?" — and your answer is limited to 140 characters or less. Your tweet — e.g. "going for lunch then off to get my hair done" — will then be posted onto your profile and all your followers will be able to see it.

Getting started

Registering for Twitter or creating an account is quick and easy. All you need is a username (your name or nickname), a password and an email address. Your username can't have any spaces and it's easiest to simply use your name, e.g. "chantalp".

After registering, get your Twitter feet wet by following some Tweeps. Simply enter your friend's username or a keyword (depending on what your interest and hobbies are) in the Twitter search tool. A list will appear and you can search for friends.

OK, but what is the point of tweeting?

Well, to begin with, Twitter tends to be less invasive. It is a great platform for communicating with like-minded strangers and sharing ideas. It is also an easy way of keeping up to date with news and celeb gossip.

Twitter means different things to different people... allow me to explain.

To the daughter who lives overseas far from her family and friends, Twitter serves as a micro-blogging function keeping her family informed about what she is doing and how she is feeling.

To the teenager, Twitter is a fun social network that allows him/her to keep in touch and make new friends.

To a company, Twitter is a business tool for marketing; to a politician a platform for expressing ideas; and to the celeb a way of talking back to the tabloids.

What's with the strange symbols and terms?

A direct message (or a DM) is Twitter's own private messaging channel. No one but you can read your DMs. These tweets appear under the Direct Messages tab on your homepage. If you have your email notifications turned on, you will also get an email informing you that somebody has sent you a DM.

A retweet (RT) is when you would like to share an idea that someone else has recently posted. You can re-post their message on your post and then give them credit for it. It will look something like this: "RT @Username: the original message that you are retweeting".

Twitter messages are not automatically categorised. So the # symbol is used to catergorise your tweet. The # sign is followed by the topic that your post falls under. For example: "I think the #ANC should do more about crime." Your message will then be part of Twitter search results for "#ANC".

Who's tweeting?

Twitter has become so part of popular culture that even US President Barack Obama is using it. One of his recent tweets? "Health reform just took a huge step — but the insurance lobby is working hard to stop it. Urge Congress to pass real reform."

Lindsay Lohan's recently tweeted: "@dianalmiller Maison Michele — best hats darling :) hehe"

Other most-followed celebs on Twitter are Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. And the most-popular TV programmes followed are The Ellen Show and CNN breaking news.

Locally, Gareth Cliff is the most-followed South African celebrity, with Tina Cook, Khaya Dlanga and Jo-Ann Strauss also raking up followers.

So then, now you're ready to answer that most basic of social networking questions, Twitter-style: "What are you doing?" Visit www.twitter.com to answer.

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