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Some people post videos on YouTube, where — unwittingly or not — they make fools of themselves in hopes of catching their 15 minutes of fame.

Frederick Memorial Healthcare System, however, uses the Web site to document the progress of Elaine Hoke of Thurmont, who is taking part in its weight-loss program.

Hoke said she "felt a little bit like a guinea pig," but called the experience "fascinating and a little intimidating."

"It made me feel a little scrutinized," Hoke said, though she "kind of liked" the attention it brought her and she still participates in the program.

The hospital's use of social media through sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook has led to a 21 percent increase in business at its Wellness Center last month, said hospital spokeswoman Amanda Changuris in an e-mail to The Gazette.

Changuris was one of 105 local business representatives who attended the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce's New Media and Technology Conference last week. The forum featured several presentations designed to educate local business leaders about social media and their benefits.

In a recent Small Business Success Index survey compiled by Network Solutions of Herndon, Va. and the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, 75 percent of 500 small-business owners said they have a company page on a social media site.

DynPort Vaccine of Frederick uses multiple Twitter accounts, one by company officials and another by Robert V. House, its president.

The company's general Twitter account includes company information such as job openings, dates of conferences and other events, and information on industry trends, said spokeswoman April Finnen in an e-mail to The Gazette.

The company's Twitter feed had 213 followers as of this week, according to Finnen. House's Twitter account typically includes information about "big picture" industry trends and links to related news articles and blog posts, Finnen said.

In addition to Twitter, House maintains a blog where he touches on topics such as biopharmaceutical product development and government contracting.

House said using social media has made him more "cognizant of the perishability of information, which can be both a blessing and a curse."

"When you get used to receiving real-time information and feedback from colleagues, it makes you a little quicker to respond," House said of social media in an e-mail.

Finnen also presented at last week's conference with Laurie Luck, founder of Smart Dog University in Mount Airy, which provides in-home and group behavioral training for dogs.

The women's presentation focused on how Twitter can help businesses. Among their points: Business owners need to "be a real person" on their Twitter accounts, but also must be wary of sharing potentially damaging information.

Margaret Koogle, president of Lilypons Water Gardens, said her Adamstown business, which provides water gardening products, is "starting to get our feet wet" with social media and is planning to create a Facebook and Twitter account, plus a blog within the next week.

Koogle said last week's conference provided a good foundation for her business to begin using social media.

"We are creating an outline of what we want to accomplish, our goals," she said.

In an e-mail to The Gazette, M. Richard Adams, the chamber's CEO, said there are "special considerations" when using social media for business purposes and the chamber "wants to make sure local organizations are well-informed and feel comfortable using these tools to communicate with their costumers and colleagues."

Wood Street Inc., a Frederick Web design and development company, also has a Twitter account with 93 followers, according to its president, Jon Bailey. The company links to "a lot" of Google news alerts on topics related to Web design and development, as well as search engine optimization, Bailey said.

"Either is useful to potential clients or people interested in our services," he said. Wood Street is working to relaunch its Web site and create its own YouTube account.

Social media provide a "wealth of information at our fingerprints," Bailey said.

There were 599 Twitter updates posted about last week's conference on the day it was held, according to chamber information.