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.