Twitter-for-business crash course is offered

POTSDAM — Business owners are signing up for a micro-blogging crash course to develop social networking skills needed to "tweet" themselves to success.

Potsdam Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marylee E. Ballou said nearly a dozen people have expressed interest in a "Twitter 101 for Business" seminar to be offered from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday at Sergi's Banquet Hall, Market Street.

The event, sponsored by the chamber's IT Committee and Slic Network Solutions, is aimed at helping business owners understand Twitter to improve their bottom lines.

Twitter is a Web-based social network that allows users to broadcast text-based messages of no more than 140 characters known as tweets to friends and followers.

A restaurant owner, for example, could tweet potential customers about daily menu specials.

Jeffrey M. Yette, sales engineer for Slic, said Twitter can be an easy and fun way for business owners to interact with customers and receive instant feedback.

"It is a way to let people know what you are doing," he said.

Ellen M. Nesbitt, owner of Saint Lawrence Chocolates, 4 Main St., has signed up for the seminar and said she believes the technology offers new opportunities, especially because of the large number of college students in Canton and Potsdam.

"The college kids are such a big part of our marketing, and they do tweet and Twitter," Mrs. Nesbitt said. "If we get followers, we could let them know what is new and different at the store, or what our flavor of the month is."

For more information about the seminar, call the chamber office at 274-4000. The fee of $15 includes lunch.