摘要：Twitter is extensively used by small business entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia especially by virtual shop owners. This preliminary study aimed to identify the reasons that make small business entrepreneurs use Twitter in their businesses; and to determine the level of effectiveness of the use of Twitter. We gather quantitative and qualitative data using survey questionnaire. We found that the employment of Twitter as a virtual shop is growing continuously in the last two years. Results of this study have shown that Twitter is perceived as a valuable tool in customer acquisition, advertising, and sales. The study also reveals that Twitter has many positives with major concern of the apprehension of dealing with unknown persons. Overall, Twitter is exploited as an effective tool among small business entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia
关键词：electronic commerce; social network; Twitter; small business; Saudi Arabia
