340 million tweets per day, over a billion tweets sent every three days and over 140 million active users. These are just a few of the stats that show Twitter is one of the powerful social media networks available.

I’ve always believed Twitter is a great way for businesses to build a community – a community of their target audience, but also be part of the community where they live. I decided to test this theory of being part of a community.

I live in London, Ontario and often meet clients and associates at cafes and restaurants. So I asked: #ldnont (Twitter’s hashtag for London, Ontario) when meeting with a client or business associate which coffee shops/restaurants do you go to? London Ontario (I repeated London Ontario even though I used the hashtag as I wanted to reach as many people as possible). For those who are not aware, it is best to write London, Ontario. If you just wrote London, it is often presumed you mean London, England.

I received one retweet. Which is fantastic. This means my question is being reposted to another group of people. With proper Twitter etiquette, I thanked them for the retweet on my quest to find a new place to meet clients.

What’s exciting is that I received five answers within minutes of my tweet:
– Kantina Cafe & Restaurant
– You Made It Cafe
– Organic Works
– Black Walnut Bakery Cafe
– Chelsea’s (Restaurant inside Ramada Inn)

These were restaurants I have never tried before and three I had no idea existed.

Not only did I receive recommendations, I also chatted with these people on Twitter too. I found out a bit more about them, why they recommended the restaurant and if there is a menu item that is so delicious I must order.

For example, I learned the Organic Works has plenty of parking and big tables for meeting with clients. The YMI Cafe has free WIFI and is an unemployment skills program for youth who face barriers due to homelessness, unemployment and lack of education. All proceeds go to support youth programs. This information is vital to know when selecting a place to conduct business.

If you want to be part of the community where you live, why not try Twitter? It’s free, all tweets are 140 characters or less – equivalent to 1-2 short sentences, it’s quick and it’s real-time.

I would love to hear what you think of Twitter. Do you think this form of social media is good or just a bunch of birds tweeting at one another?

By the way, I was able to try the Black Walnut Cafe. I have to say, the recommendation was spot on. The food is all homemade and words cannot describe how delicious my food was. I cannot wait to try the other restaurants.