I just bought FFXIV:ARR two days ago, it's my first MMORPG and I don't really now a lot of things. If you guys have any tips or whatnot that would be helpful, please let me know.

A couple questions I have are, I still don't quite understand what Free Companies are for.. I have gotten invited to a couple and they are all just a bunch of people telling life stories and don't want me to interrupt them with any questions I have.
Also, how easy is it to switch between classes? Is there a cool-down period after you switch before you can switch again? And how do you go about doing so?