Follow Friday: @RosLehtinen

{mosads}The Hill Question: Do you write your own tweets?

Ros-Lehtinen’s Answer: I try to post my own tweets as often as possible, but sometimes it’s difficult to do so due to my busy schedule, hearings and events. I want to try to give constituents a real sense of all of the work I do on a daily basis trying to represent them here in Washington, D.C., and back home in South Florida. So sometimes when I can’t tweet, I’ll ask a staffer who was with me at a meeting or event to tweet on it for me.
 
Q: When did you join Twitter?

A: I joined Twitter in April 2008 and I am very glad that I did. Twitter gives the public at large a sense of the day-to-day activities of members of Congress. It helps create a deeper understanding of the structures and institutions of our democracy. 
 
Q: What do you see as the most significant purpose of Twitter for you? 

A: In this age of instant communications, 24-hour media cycles and social media, the beauty of Twitter is that it gives my followers an opportunity to interact and communicate with me, in real time, in a way that is easier than ever. It’s a great way for me to reach out to a whole group of individuals who might otherwise not follow politics. It also allows people to participate in the public policy discourse. People have strong feelings on certain issues, but it may have been more difficult in the past to share their opinions. Twitter has changed that. People have become more comfortable sharing their opinions 140 characters at a time. I also think Twitter can be an effective and efficient tool for people to come together. As we have seen all over the world, Twitter has been able to spread important messages in real time and effect real change.
 
Q: Do you have a “best” Twitter moment?

A: I think some of the best Twitter moments are when I get an opportunity to tweet right before a major event, like the State of the Union. Right before we go into the Chamber, I’ll take a picture and tweet on it. I always get such positive feedback. I think people really enjoy getting an inside look at Congress. It gives them an opportunity to witness events very few people had seen before, and it gives them a sense of being there.

Follow Ros-Lehtinen’s Twitter feed @RosLehtinen, where she currently has 8,679 followers.

Past “Follow Friday” Twitter profiles have included Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), Mike Honda (Calif.), Jim Himes (Conn.) and Rush Holt (N.J.), and Republican Reps. Bob Latta (Ohio), Glenn Thompson (Pa.), John Shimkus (Ill.), David Schweikert (Ariz.) and Dana Rohrabacher (Calif.), as well as the Republican-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.