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Can Twitter Help Save A Local, Family-Owned Business on Main Street?

Family-owned, local businesses are suffering on Main Street - something we hear everyday. While bail-outs are being talked about in the halls of senators and corporate executives, main street America is talking, and helping via social networking such as Twitter and Facebook. In Portland, Oregon today, peeps throughout the city were paged with a simple message from an everdaydude to read http://tin yurl.com/5vs5oz. - a son, with a simple plea, a simple Christmas wish to his local community - help save our family bookstore. Is he naive to think it will work? As I walked into the store today, I believe the message is out.

Hopefully Broadway Books, in Portland, because of the power of Twitter and blogging and the desire of the people of Portland, Oregon to support local businesses will not only survive, but thrive in our economy. Is it really possible that our social networking, our Tweet messages, and our blogging can help bail out Main Street America? To me it is amazing what 140 characters sent out by business professionals, marketing specialists, Realtors, and sons and daughters can accomplish. Watch what can be accomplished without a bail-out.

Posted by Norm Rice, (Realtor) CRS, ABR, SRES, e-Pro on 12/11/2008 09:21 PM

Comments (16)

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16 Comments on Can Twitter Help Save A Local, Family-Owned Business on Main Street?

DEC

Norm, Good for him, I hope it works!

Norm~ That would be great if it works, wouldn't it?

Norm I really do hope it works. thanks for the post

Hi Norm, Let's save Main Street! I guess that there is a burrito in it for you. That is a sweet son!

That is heartwarming. I believe that real change will come and our country will be great again when we start helping and taking care of each other.

Kathy & Vicki - I am convinced it will work for them. Watch for an update after the holidays :)

Great info. It's amazing how much of an impact the new media can have in the most unlikely ways.

Really wow I would love to see the difference in numbers prior to the tweet and after the tweet maybe I need to do that for my dads business too.

Heather - what would you have to loose to give it a try? I suspect that it would bring in more than a couple additional sales for him. I also suspect it would depend on how it was written up - if you read the son's blog, how could you not want to respond and help. Above all, I firmly believe that David & Colleen are right - people do want to help take care of each other and the new media can have a big impact. All we really have to do is look back to the whole past year and the campaigns. Look at the effect the social networking had to do with the final results.

DEC

Norm, Thanks for being timely. Thanks for being positive. Thanks for reading my blog and for your comment.

Amy Taylor

Burnit Studio the video experts

What they heck -- give it a try! I will be interested to see what happens - hopefully some of the local media are "tweeting" too.

Hi Norm - I would guess that people who tweet are also a little more likely to be found in a bookstore than the average web user. Great to hear a story like this, especially so close to Christmas. Hope this continues well into 2009!

John - I suspect you are correct. Maybe we need to really start giving more credit to the segment of our society that has embraced technology - maybe they will be the ones that make a difference in our economy, our nation. Maybe they will be the ones that bail us out after-all.

All - I sincerely appreciate the support and the kind words! It's encouraging to see that people think this is a good idea. Thanks Norm for re-posting and I suppose obvious thanks to twitter and the tweeter's of the world for sharing. Twitter is here in San Francisco, perhaps I'll have to thank them in person, I can think of a few good burrito spots around here...

Thanks everdaydaydude - hopefully we can help get word out not only in Portland, Oregon about such places as Broadway Books, but that no matter where we are, we can get out and support the family-owned businesses in our communites, wheher it be a book store, small coffee shop or a valuable service.

It's amazing that sometimes a simple question or plea can create a revolution. Great story Norm, I certainly hope the little bookstore that could makes it.

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