Invite and inform others to participate in as it will only help build your local network.   This is also a great time to organize or promote a Tweetup or join an existing one to meet the community.  (Side note:  check out AtlantaTweetups.com)  Invite your local chamber of commerce and other business owners to participate.

Use the following local Twitter directories to find and follow your local Twitter community:

http://localtweeps.com
http://chirpcity.com
http://twitterlocal.net
http://citytweets.net

Is there a way in twitter to search for people by their location?  Yes.  You can also search using several other fields as well.

You can search twitter by going to the following URL:  http://search.twitter.com

You can conduct an advanced search by going to this URL:  http://search.twitter.com/advanced

The advanced search will allow you to find people based on their location, keywords and several other fields…you can even find people who reference a particular person!

Conducting a search to find people based on keywords or location can prove to be very successful for your marketing efforts.   For instance, I use the advanced search feature to search by keyword to identify and network with individuals interested in mountain biking to promote and market my website, MTOBikes.com.  Likewise, I use the advance search feature to find people based on their location to connect with individuals located in or around the Smyrna Vinings community as a way to increase the exposure and brand awareness of SmyrnaVinings.com.

There you have it…a short and sweet tip that will help you get a jump start in your twitter social networking efforts.