Like the ever-expanding universe, the Tweetiverse (or the world around the social networking website Twitter) is likewise always growing. In Manayunk and Roxborough, businesses are capitalizing on the marketing potential social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and countless others bring.

"Twitter is good for business, and when I say business I mean all businesses," said Calcom Technologies owner and social media guru Isaiah Nathaniel. "The customer interaction can be solidified through Twitter... You see McDonalds, Wendys, Wal-Mart, Best Buy using Twitter for customer service and to make appeals."

Since it launched in 2006, Twitter has become a haven for interpersonal interactions. Users share bit-sized, 140-character messages with their networks, and often post more than 10 notes, or "tweets" per day. Slowly, businesses jumped onto the bandwagon for multiple reasons—not the least being Twitter is a free service.

Searching for local businesses capitalizing on the phenomena-turned-mainstream sensation is easy: Returns for the Manayunk Brewery, Spiral Bookcase, Machismo Burrito, T. Hogan's Pub, and even Holy Child Catholic School came up immediately.

Nathaniel, who runs the IT and web design company, helps local businesses adapt to the online world. For his clients, which include St. John the Baptist Church and JS Productions, he identifies digital resources that could increase visibility, but at the same time tries not to overburden them.

"There's so many things out there, everything might not be good for you," Nathaniel said. "Each different industry works differently in social media."

Calcom recommends one or two avenues at first, establishes a presence and teaches the users how to operate them. In some cases, like on Facebook and Twitter, applications can be directly linked so a post on one network reaches the other.

In advance of its spring Art Festival, the Manayunk Development Corporation launched its own Twitter account last February. Martha Vidauri operates the application with Garret Elwood and said the initiative has benefited the nonprofit in a variety of ways.

"We wanted to increase our online presence... Manayunk.com is slowly getting better, but in some cases, people don't have the time to check it. If you're already following us, you'll see what we're doing," she said.

Sure, the development corporation promotes the district's big events, but she said with Twitter, it makes it easier to get the word out on lesser-known festivities. For example, yesterday the group tweeted, "Canal Cleanup today! 9:30-12:30am (meet at lower cotton)," in advance of volunteer opportunity.

Vidauri also hailed Twitter for its business-to-business interactions (local companies will repost or "retweet" what their contemporaries do), and said the environmental benefits are obvious, as it's paperless.

For Calcom, the businesses has monitored and grown since launching in 2004, as social media has. Then, when Facebook was in its infancy and Twitter didn't exist, MySpace ran supreme. Six years later, MySpace is mainly a music site, and never took off in the business world—it was too immature.

"It became childish quickly where Facebook didn't become childish. MySpace became a bicker-fest not a social platform. Looking at Facebook's approach, you could determine it wasn't a fad," he said.

On a business end, Calcom evaluates the longview from companies to determine if each site is a viable option. Since the social network boom, his company went from predominately helping offices on the IT side to a mix between tech support and web design.

"With social media, the design portion of our company has kicked up a tremendous amount... Because of social media we're constantly reworking websites," he said, adding design makes up about 40 percent of his business.

In proof of Twitter's power, Nathaniel points to a recent Gap reversal. The clothing giant debuted a new logo last week, and immediately returned to the original design after a Twitter backlash.

Though possibly a headache at first, Nathaniel said Twitter is worth it.

"It does require time and ingenuity, but you get used to it. Twitter keeps your company relevant," he said.

For  Vidauri, Twitter is more basic.

"It's a simple way to send out a POSITIVE message to your audience," she wrote in an e-mail.

For more information on Calcom Technologies, visit its website. Follow Roxborough Patch on Twitter @RoxboroughPatch.