Remember the days of the monthly magazine? You know, you had to create and place an ad up to 10 weeks prior to publication and it runs for the entire month.

So for a January ad, the artwork was due in mid-October. Now, what if by the time the magazine hits the stands, the item, say a house for sale or a hotel deal offer, is no longer available. (From: Find your customers in ‘real time’ | Baltimore Business Journal by CITYPEEK's Patti Neumann)

But place a posting on Twitter or Facebook and the response is immediate, real-time and, it is a 24-7 industry. The World Wide Web is open for business all the time. There is no time to waste. There are deals to be had and immediate needs to be met. Some good examples I saw recently:

@SouthwestAir could have placed an ad for $5,000 per page per city in multiple magazines in October to promote November Cyber Monday deals. Instead it tweeted: “Take advantage of this Cyber Monday deal! Book a flight+hotel for travel to LAS, MCO, LAX & select ski destinations: http://tiny.cc/szn5n”. And best of all, Twitter is free.

Restaurants garner immediate attention with their fans and followers promoting their daily deals. Search and “follow” on twitter or click the “Like” thumbs up button on Facebook to get immediate deals and specials from your favorite spots and brands. Some recent Facebook restaurant and chef posts:

Regis Bistro Black Friday: Now Serving Brunch & Lunch Specials...You Need To Get Out For A Few!!

Tatu Baltimore: Don’t forget to stop by Tatu tonight! Sushi and Bar opened til 11pm! Hope to see you soon!

Kona Grill promoted a special gift card sale offer on Facebook and Twitter (in an abbreviated version): “@Kona Grill- Buy One Get One Half Off Gift Cards on BLACK FRIDAY ONLY! In-restaurant only, in every Kona Grill from open to close! One day a year, don’t miss it!”

Kona Grill also has one individual who responds to every social networking tweet, post and photo upload. This helps improve their relationship building with their guests and helps make their brand, which is currently in 25 cities, accessible, friendly and top-of-mind.

You can be the first to get the scoop from your favorite people and brands on social networking avenues. I learned that an accomplished chef, Kevin Miller of past IXIA fame, is opening up a new catering kitchen via his Facebook post showing his new space and comments on his new catering venture in Federal Hill: “@Kevin Miller Our new space!”

Ever want to buy or sell something pronto but don’t feel like going through all of the hassle via eBay auction?

Simply post or search other people’s posts on Twitter or Facebook or the business-to-business social networking tool LinkedIn. I just posted a new notebook for sale. I posted a tweet and Facebook post @citypeekpatti and it garnered immediate interest. Try it. It is still for sale-hurry!

Patti Neumann, CEO of CITYPEEK.com, a regional online resource guide, can be reached at patti@citypeek.com or CITYPEEK Patti on facebook/twitter.