Diana Tuffin, a jazz musician from Winston-Salem, had never sent a single tweet when she walked into a social-media workshop on Tuesday.
"To me, a twitter means a nervous condition," she said, "which is how going out there introducing myself to the world feels."
But she decided to attend the workshop, 140ology, which was held at the Hawthorne Inn. The name comes from the maximum number of characters that can be posted on a single Twitter message -- or tweet.
"I'm hoping to understand the benefits of social networks," Tuffin said before the workshop started.
She wasn't alone. About 40 people attended the class, the first of a planned series held by LePrint Express, a Winston-Salem print and design company. The workshop covered such subjects as Twitter, Facebook and blogs.
Alli McVann, an organizer and life manager from High Point, said that she has a "raggedy Facebook account," but hoped that the workshop would help her learn to use it better.
"I don't want to find old school friends," she said. "I want to market myself in a more effective way."
Tom Petersen, a store manager for Select Comfort, drove from Greensboro to attend the workshop. "It's the future of marketing," he said. "I don't want to be left behind."
Brian Leimone, a marketing specialist from LePrint, ran the workshop. "We're laying the groundwork to understand how to use social media," he said. "I can't imagine a business not being able to get something out of Facebook."
Out of Winston-Salem's population of more than 227,000 people, he said, there are more than 105,400 registered Facebook users.
As for Twitter, "Last year it was trendy, this year it's more mainstream," Leimone said.
Over the course of four hours, attendees learned the importance of using social media for their businesses.
Sarah Pinnix, a consultant from Boone who runs a blog for moms and teaches classes on social media, was one of the speakers. She discussed the importance of companies using social media to interact with their customers.
As an example, she pointed to Baldguybrew.com, a coffee shop in Boone that has a thriving online presence. She also discussed an incident where she posted a favorable comment about a restaurant while dining there, only to have one of her readers come to the restaurant based on her recommendation before she had even left.
"I can guarantee you there are people on social media talking about your brand," she told the attendees.
More workshops are in the works, Leimone said, including smaller specialized classes on Twitter and Facebook.
Grady Hedrick, another attendee, is the owner of Grady Hedrick Landscaping in Lexington, one of the companies that will be on Sunday's Lexington episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He went into the workshop as a skeptic. "I don't like to spread all my personal news," he said.
Going into the workshop, he didn't even have a Web site set up for his business. But, like Petersen, he said he didn't want his business to be left behind.
"I'm just learning what it's all about," he said.
For more information on coming workshops, go to 140ology.com.
tclodfelter@wsjournal.com
727-7371
Social media tips
Between sessions, presenters Brian Leimone and Sarah Pinnix shared a few tips on how businesses can use social media:
□ Listen to what people are already saying about you. Pinnix recommended doing searches to find out if your company is being discussed. If people are complimenting it, thank them. If they are criticizing it, offer to help with their problem.
□ Engage in conversations, but remember that it's a conversation -- not a sales pitch. Pinnix compares online conversations to a cocktail party, where you wouldn't want to thrust your business card in people's faces.
□ Ask questions. Diehard users will be glad to help you, and it will make them feel more connected.
□ Find someone at your company who can help oversee the social-media site. This is not necessarily an IT person, Leimone said. But it's probably someone in the company who already uses such sites in his or her private life.
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