Twitter Staffs Up In Washington D.C. #EmpireGrowing

WASHINGTON -- In a reflection of its expanded role and importance within the halls of power, Twitter, the widely popular microblogging service, made its first hire in Washington D.C. on Thursday.

The website brought on board Adam Sharp, an executive producer at C-SPAN and former top staffer for Sen. Mary Landreiu (D-La.), to help integrate its operations at the epicenter of politics and political media.

Sharp's portfolio will not include lobbying or advocacy on issues like telecommunications policy, he told The Huffington Post. Rather, his task will involve "working with members of Congress and the Executive Branch" to help "use Twitter as a vehicle for constituents."

The irony, of course, is that D.C. is already one of the top hubs of Twitter activity in the country, with news outlets using it to disseminate breaking news and politicians increasingly engaging voters through the medium. Election nights, in particular, have demonstrated the growing influence of the forum, as everyone from operatives to beat reporters relay tidbits of news and information in 140 characters or less.

So why drop a flag in a city where Twitter use is already at an advanced stage?

"There are definitely several examples on both sides of the aisle of people who have taken tremendous advantage of the platform already," said Sharp. "This election in particular has shown the impact Twitter has on the process. But it is a big government. And, as with anything, you have the early adopters who set the tone and demonstrate the high value and then there is the next tier that just want to do something more but don't have the knowledge or appreciation of the tools."

Sharp will, for the time being, serve as a one-man office. There are no immediate plans, he said, to bring other employees to D.C. Though the broader purpose of placing a staffer outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco suggests that the company is eager to seize on its growing popularity.

Comments

[ptaylor98]

04:25 PM on 11/07/2010

I think Twitter is an excellent tool for politicians, but only if they actively interaction with their followers. A great potential for constituents to "connect" with their representatives, if they use it.

[Alan W. Silberberg]

06:35 PM on 11/04/2010

Having been one of the first to write about this back in June 2010, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-w-silberberg/gov-20-and-twitter-finall_b_606755.html I will say nice to see the position get filled. Thanks for writing this. Good luck to Twitter and Mr. Sharp.

[StevieTheK]

04:48 PM on 11/04/2010

show me the money.

Who is paying for all this Twitter scaling-up? What is the revenue plan?

It's free, has only its base of users who haven't had to pay a cent for the privilege, and therefore has limited barriers to entry.

I wouldn't want to be one of those holding the bill when someone else comes in with a better version, or when they decide to charge for it.

[MohammedAbbasi]

03:22 PM on 11/04/2010

Twit Government?

[w4s]

02:58 PM on 11/04/2010

this story should have been tweeted.

[forealdough]

02:51 PM on 11/04/2010

only twits twitter.

[CAMBEL]

02:41 PM on 11/04/2010

They BETTER think about lobbying. Microsoft never really lobbied and they got hit with all those govt. anti-trust suits back in the 90's. Suddenly they send a bunch of lobbyists to Washington and never again.

Congress needs it's bribes.

[mataylor16]

02:36 PM on 11/04/2010

This is a fad. Note that the pols that were big fans of dropping twit-bombs on their opponents instead of actually talking to the media either got sent packing or are in the process of trying to prove their continued relevance.

[Zacky Ahmed]

02:30 PM on 11/04/2010

Time to buy some politicians TWITTER :p
time for lobbying, may i suggest you fight the internet regulations
that would be a good cause.
;).

[Robert MacEwan]

01:36 PM on 11/04/2010

Twitter.gov -

[imayes]

01:25 PM on 11/04/2010

This is why I am not a millionaire. I cannot think of some stupid little thing for people to do that makes me money. I read somewhere that something like 80% of tweets are basically ignored, so Twitter is mostly people just wasting their time talking about things nobody cares about. The company Zinga, that makes those stupid Facebook games where you basically click on stuff, wait, then click on stuff some more is worth more than EA (one of the largest video game studios) who makes hundred million dollar games that they hope make a profit.

I WILL think of some simple little idea that will make me money, or I will die trying (hmm....a little take on that 50 cent song, but not as serious).