However, that Twitter habit has given a boost to her online children's clothing business Tinytotswithstyle.com, Shafranek said.

She went from four people following her "tweets" to nearly 1,000 in no time, and since then, more and more people go to her Web site to check out what she's selling.

"It's growing my business, and that's a big thing," Shafranek said, who attended the Loveland Chamber of Commerce's NoCO Social Media Social on Tuesday night at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Loveland.

The event, organized by the chamber's Web 2.0 Committee, aimed to educate people on how social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can help promote businesses if used correctly.

"This is a demonstration in itself on how powerful social media can be," Loveland author and Internet entrepreneur Joel Comm said to the group of around 75 people.

Comm spoke briefly and focused on how Twitter is becoming one of the premier ways to market businesses online, which is the subject of his latest book.

"Twitter is the water cooler for the 21st century," Comm said.

People go there to talk about anything, and savvy businesses owners can take advantage, he said.

Twitter users log onto the site to write and read short messages within a community of "followers." Comm compared them to the band Grateful Dead's deadhead following of people who "just get it."

There's a way not to get it, as well, he admitted.

Business owners who sign up for a Twitter account add followers and then start blasting information about their business will likely find few people listening.

Business-minded Tweeters have to play the game, provide information people want to see, and weave in the business opportunities.

Comm's catch phrase on this is: Like me; know me; trust me; pay me.

It sounded like basic business tactics, said Randall Evans, who owns a marketing and sales company, The Solution Group of Northern Colorado.

Evans said he has not tried using social media because he's not very computer savvy, and he came to the event Tuesday to learn more about it.

"It's about building relationships," Evans said. "That's what's so funny about it. A lot of people like myself can get over inundated with it, but it's still about connecting, networking and creating relationships."

Evans said he'll likely sign up for a Twitter account and see how it works.