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could potentially end up with a whole lot of inquires that are well outside their target market...this could create a much different burden to their business then it would to a company like Amazon.
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I'm not sure there would be any burden created. What kind of inquiries would they really get? And how hard is it to respond to something over Twitter? And if a bookstore is genuinely getting inquiries from across the country it would seem to me an opportunity to do business online. Books are something very easy to sell online so if anything it could open up new markets to the store.
Using SteveB as an example. I realize he's not planning on jumping on Twitter anytime soon, but let's say he did. I highly doubt he's going to be flooded with requests to install fences for people outside his area. Is it possible he'd be asked general questions about pet fencing? Absolutely, but I don't see how they'd be hard to deal with. He could answer via Twitter, which would mean he'd be answering the questions of many followers at once. He could answer via a blog post and again answer many questions at once.
While most of his followers and readers would never become customers it would still set Steve up as even more of an expert locally which would lead to more customers.
I think a good analogy is a local shop being featured on the national news. Most of the people watching that news program aren't going to be visiting the local store, but many local people will still be watching that national news program and even for those that aren't the brand of the business will still spread and get back to them.