If you're a small business owner looking to get a grasp on this social media thing and meet other local SMB owners, then there's a new batch of seminars you're going to want to get your 'hands on'.

You may remember that last month I mentioned that Google would be offering a number of Small Business 101 workshops as they traveled around the United States reaching out to small business owners. Well, it seems they're not alone in their efforts. Over the next month, Kirtsy will be pairing with Microsoft Office Live to host 100 free Hands on Small Business (HoSB) gatherings to offer SMB owners practical advice, direct instruction, and application tips on the topic of social media and site development.

If you're looking for some hands on experience, you're going to want to make one of these seminars.

Each session will be hosted and led by Kirtsy founders and friends to introduce small business owners and budding entrepreneurs to easy, cost-effective ways to build and promote a new business on the Web. In previous sessions, topics have ranged from DIY Web site development, getting set up on Twitter, how to create a Facebook Fan page, getting to know the Microsoft Offive Live system, and familiarizing entrepreneurs with Kirtsy, a Digg-like site focused around women issues. I've read several seminar recaps from attendees and it sounds like they're doing a good job attracting a mix of different people and experience levels, so there's something here for everyone.

If you're interested in attending any of the gatherings, they'll be hitting 20 major cities and running to November 22. Cities include: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, New York, Seattle, Toronto and beyond. You can find a complete list over on the HoSB Web site, as well as links for how to register.

It's really important for small business owners to be proactive about learning how to use these new social media tools. I think many are hesitant to get involved, but as we've seen, social media is being led by the small business owners. It's given even the smallest organization a platform to reach people and being able to leverage these one-on-one personal relationships is incredibly powerful. I have to think that these HoSB gatherings also offer a fabulous way to network and build connections with other social media-savvy business owners in your area. Well done by both the Kirtsy team and Microsoft Office Live for putting these today.

To stay up to date on the gatherings, you can follow the HoSB blog and also Fan them on Facebook. See, they practice what they preach!

From Small Business Trends

HoSB Seminars Offer SMB Owners 'Hands On' Help