CNN iReport

Twitter does it again- Virtual connections go to Tweetup and turn virtual into real relationships and real community...

Several days ago, I had the pleasure of sharing a radio show spot with Scott Allen, author of The Virtual Handshake, where he made an interesting comment. He said "Twitter is not a community, it is a communication tool." That being said, it's hard to think of Twitter as only a tool after attending many Tweetups.

When you are a part of the budding Twitter community, relationships are forged to the point that when you meet someone, it's at though you have known them for years. Instantly, boundardies are erased, the cold "getting to know you" sentiment that is so prevalent at business networking events is gone, and you almost immediately get immersed into genuine discussion.

As seen in this video, everyone is engaged in conversation and you would not know that most people here have never met... in person that is.

This event, named #ATLCHIX, was one of many Tweetups being hosted around the city of Atlanta. And for those who wish to challenge the power of Twitter should attend at least one of these - they will hear stories such as how Twitter helped people find jobs and how it connected long lost friends.

If there is one thing that we know for sure, society is  longing for a sense of belonging and community. There is no doubt that Twitter, amongst other social media communication platforms, have one thing in common - the ability to forge a virtual community bringing people together based on common interests and makes it easy to turn those virtual connections into real relationships.

This is @TarynP, calling it a night, content knowing that my virtual and actual networks exponentially expanded tonight.