* UPDATED TO ADD: The Tweetvite link to RSVP for Tweetsgiving San Antonio is not working consistently. To RSVP please click here and click on “open ticket” to reserve your space at the party. *

Do you remember your school days? The readin’, writin’, arithmetic? Learning your ABCs and, eventually, fractions and maybe even quadratic equations (yikes!)? Who was your favorite teacher? How did attending school guide you to your current profession? How did it shape the person you’ve become?

Did you drop your kids at school today? What are they learning this month? My daughter’s learning to write the alphabet and starting to read. My son is singing his ABCs and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. When they return home from school each day I’m amazed by, and very grateful for, all they’ve learned.

For children in the United States attending school is a given. We all contribute to the costs of their education with our tax dollars. We often take for granted the fact that children in our country have the right to an education. But that’s not the case in every country.

In a small village in Tanzania one woman had a dream. Mama Lucy Kamptoni (@MamaLucy) decided to give her hard-earned income as a poultry farmer to help build a school for local children. She wanted to help raise the next leaders of Tanzania.

Mama Lucy Kamptoni and the #Tweetsgiving kids

The first Tweetsgiving took place in November 2008 when six volunteers came together over six days to launch a fundraising effort over Twitter to help Mama Lucy build a classroom for the Shepherd’s Junior school which now serves over 300 children in Arusha. Just two days before Thanksgiving 2008, “Tweetsgiving” became the #1 trending topic on Twitter as people on Twitter flooded the stream sharing that for which they were most grateful. People made contributions too and their donations were used to build a classroom; the Twitter IDs of those donors were painted on the walls of that classroom.

Join us for Tweetsgiving San Antonio on November 24, 2009, @BrasseriePavil from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.!

This Tweetsgiving we’re hoping to spread the gratitude across Twitter again. Funds raised will again be invested to expand Kamptoni’s efforts at Shepherd’s Junior, where an orphanage, cafeteria, library and more classrooms are greatly needed, and to fund future Epic Change fellows like her across the globe.

This Tuesday, November 24th, San Antonio’s incredibly active, always impressive social media community will gather at @BrasseriePavil to eat, drink, and be merry and to give thanks for the abundance we enjoy in our lives. But we’ll also be channeling our social media efforts for good.

Alice, one of the children who attend Shepherd's Junior

You can be a part of this generous effort by tweeting and blogging about Tweetsgiving on November 24-26, 2009 and about all for which you are grateful. And, if you feel so moved, please consider donating (either online here – see “Additional Donation” near the end of the page or when you attend one of the Tweetsgiving gratitude parties around the globe) to help Epic Change and @MamaLucy continue to help the children of Arusha, Tanzania get the education that our children already enjoy.

@BrasseriePavil will provide complimentary appetizers and free beer and liquor samples from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Happy hour prices will run all night. And, those who donate will be entered into a drawing to win

Those who donate at Tweetsgiving San Antonio will be entered into a drawing to win one of the following great prizes from our generous donors:

- a cooking demo for 10 people from @BrasseriePavil that will take place tonight.

- a one-night stay @WestinLaCantera Resort.

- dinner for two at Francesca’s at Sunset (@WestinLaCantera Resort).

- one of two sets of vouchers each good for 2 tickets to any San Antonio Symphony Pops or Classics concert in the 09-10 season.

(Must be present to win.)

Join us for Tweetsgiving San Antonio @BrasseriePavil or online (on Twitter w/ hashtag #Tweetsgiving, in blog posts, and/or via online donations) or at a location near you to express your gratitude, to have fun and to help others. Social media is a powerful thing and it’s even more impressive when we use our powers for good!

Thank you to all of our Tweetsgiving San Antonio sponsors: @BrasseriePavil, @WestinLaCantera, @SASym (San Antonio Symphony) and your generous donations!

This post was created as part of a global groundswell of gratitude called TweetsGiving. The celebration, created by US nonprofit Epic Change, is an experiment in social innovation that seeks to change the world through the power of gratitude. I hope you’ll visit the TweetsGiving site to learn more, and to bring your grateful heart to the party by sharing your gratitude, and giving in honor of that for which you’re most thankful.

[credit for all photos: Tim Llewellyn]

One of the best opportunities afforded to businesses on Twitter is the ability to form and foster genuine relationships with customers and prospects. This doesn’t happen just by signing up for a Twitter account. Businesses successfully using Twitter spend time talking with the people who follow them and they make the effort to follow them back. They encourage a two-way dialog and listen to what their customers have to say whether it’s good or bad.

I’ve worked closely with BrasseriePavil to learn about their business and then discuss with them the various ways they can use Twitter to connect with their customers and prospects. Over the last few months they’ve worked hard to engage people on Twitter. They enjoy the ability to converse with their customers and prospects. They communicate regularly with followers about new menu items. They love offering specials that only their loyal Twitter followers know about. They take reservations via Twitter. And, yes, they address customer dissatisfaction on Twitter.

Some businesses might be afraid to come out and say, for all to see, “We hear you. You weren’t happy. What can we do to make your experience with us better?” Not all businesses want to admit that they’re not perfect. But Brasserie Pavil isn’t just any business. After five months on Twitter and with over 900 followers, they’ve learned to use the power of Twitter to help them turn dissatisfied customers around. And they’re savvy enough to appreciate that customers–especially those on Twitter–want to be heard.

By monitoring Twitter and other social media sites for mention of their brand (for both positive and negative discussions); by making contact with unhappy patrons right away; by asking about the problems the customer encountered; and by doing what it takes to make the customer happy; they are opening up the conversation and, if all goes well, steering it back into a positive direction.

Are you harnessing the power of Twitter to help your business achieve customer service goals? Why or why not?

Here’s another take on Brasserie Pavil’s customer service win on Twitter by Liana Evans at SearchEngineWatch.com