Released March 10, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. -- When agricultural Extension agent Debbie Roos first learned about the Internet service Twitter, she was, as she puts it, a decided non-believer. Why in the world, she wondered, would people want to send and receive messages limited to just 140 characters –- fewer letters than are in this sentence?
But today, after 383 "tweets" and counting, Roos –- or @GrowSmallFarms, as she's known in the Twitterverse –- has done an about-face.
"I fell in love with Twitter last summer. It really works," she says. "A lot of people who follow me now on Twitter weren't familiar with my programs, and the potential to reach even more people is high," she says.
Through Twitter, Roos says, she's been able to raise the visibility of her Chatham County educational programs related to sustainable, organic and alternative agriculture. She has also increased her 384 Twitter followers' awareness of North Carolina Cooperative Extension and of issues related to small farms.
--continued on North Carolina Cooperative Extension news
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