When Salesforce.com crashed a couple weeks ago, technology executive Andy Meadows didn’t call a buddy nor the company to find the problem. Instead, he turned to a network of instantly accessible tech-savvy people — on Twitter.

Meadows, CEO of Austin business consulting firm LiveOak 360, said he used to log onto Google or wait for a really simple syndication, or RSS, feed. But Twitter, the text message-based social networking tool, has become his chosen method for fast answers.

“It’s the first place I go when I have a question,” Meadows said. “It’s a continuous conversation going on right now around the world. It’s immediate.”

It’s also why more businesspeople in Austin are using Twitter — businesses selling everything from coffee to computers.