Twitter can be a useful communication tool. We have ours automated to indicate when the shop is opening and closing, and when we post a new blog to our site.  People like it, and ask us to update it more.  It&#39;s not at the top of our list of communication priorities, but it&#39;s worth having just to stay connected with folks.<br>
<br>I&#39;d like to offer a Twitter success story tangetially related to the bike shop...<br>My account was useful when some of us went to advocate for the homeless shelter where we helped developed a bike program came under fire by the city and had its water cut off.  Twitter and Facebook were pretty instrumental in getting immediate positive media coverage and for getting the word out about what was going on (of course, this wouldn&#39;t have been possible without pre-existing good relations with local media).  And it helped us self-publish to make sure the real story got out.  PS The water was turned back on for the 750 people in there on a 97 degree day in Atlanta.<br>
<br>There are many communication tools in the toolbox, and it may be worth looking at the potential merits of them for your bikeshop.<br><br>-rachael<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 10:59 AM, N.O.Bike Project <span dir="ltr">&lt;<a href="mailto:nolabikeproject@gmail.com">nolabikeproject@gmail.com</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Agreed.<br>
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Twitter seems to be the most vapid, inane use of technology ever conceived. I&#39;ll sign up for it to help a cause ( I have) but actually using it goes against pretty much everything I&#39;ve ever believed in.<br>
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Victor<br>
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<a href="mailto:R2carbaugh@aol.com" target="_blank">R2carbaugh@aol.com</a> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><div></div><div class="h5">
Just shoot me right now if I have to use Twitter for anything.<br>
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/Robin Carbaugh/<br>
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**************<br>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Sopo Bicycle Cooperative<br>404-425-9989<br><a href="http://www.sopobikes.org">www.sopobikes.org</a><br>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br>Hours of operation:<br>Tues, Wed, &amp; Thurs 7 pm - 10 pm<br>
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