Making Facebook and Twitter Work for Your (Local) Business

Today is Tuesday, March 22. Here are five things you need to know today.

1. The new Charlestown Chamber of Commerce has promised to bring lots of new resources to town. Organizers are holding true to their word starting on Wednesday with a brown bag lunch meeting -- the first in an on-going learning series. This week the focus is social media: David Evans, a local web guru who has helped corporations and nonprofits launch digital marketing campaigns, will lead a talk on how to harness Facebook, Twitter and other web technologies as meaningful marketing tools. Bring your lunch to the from noon to 1 p.m. to participate. And RSVP in advance with Diane Grant, business manager for the Chamber, at dianegrant@comcast.net or 617-242-4152.

2. Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center is showing off its new digs today. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., you’re invited to stop by 14 Green Street to see the first steps of the transformation at Memorial Hall. (The center’s organizers are thanking the Charlestown Mothers Association and the Painters Union for helping them along.) There will be free classes for kids and later, at 7 p.m., there will be a free lecture series on architecture and the Charlestown home. Wine, beer and snacks will be served. More details? Click .

3. If you’re not already a Facebook fan of local musical prodigy Dennis Taylor, go ahead and change that right now. I saw on his page today – which is actually a fan page called “Let’s Get Dennis Taylor on the Ellen Degeneres Show” – that Dennis has a new CD coming out. (Dennis, in case you didn’t know, is a teenager from town with the soul of a performer several decades his senior. He sings mostly old R&B and soul music, but he writes his own stuff, too, and plays a few instruments. And he totally should be on Ellen Degeneres.) His latest recording is out April 1. Check out his web site for more info, and to download some tracks: www.dennistaylor.co.nr.

4. Today we would have published a story about Monday’s Board of Directors meeting at the Kennedy Center. The word around town was that the board was going to look at ways to deal with imminent cuts in federal funding at the anti-poverty agency. Patch reporter Amanda Kersey was at the meeting: she said the board decided to postpone that discussion. Members wanted more time to look over a proposal from the center’s director, Kate McDonough, before speaking publicly. Amanda told me two dozen people turned out for the meeting – a great sign of the support the Kennedy Center has in the community. One more note from the meeting: In the weeks since the center has announced the budget cuts, staff have collected $1,400 in donations from Charlestown residents. I’m guessing organizers need a lot more if they want to keep the center’s services in tact. And here's a quote from Tom Cunha, who is on the board: "If people understood what a vibrant resource the center is for the community, we would have gotten more money." Trouble is, the people with enough money to donate don't have to tap the center's resources, so they might not know what's at stake.

5. And just like that, it feels like spring again. Sorta. Today’s forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.

For more info on what’s happening around the neighborhood, check out our events calendar.