Obama Sends Out First-Ever "Tweet"
Upon hitting "update" on the micro-blogging site Twitter, Mr. Obama sent out the message, "President Obama and the First Lady are here visiting our disaster operation center right now" via the Red Cross Twitter feed.
"I just tweeted. The first time I tweeted," Mr. Obama exclaimed, CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports.
A subsequent Red Cross Tweet was published, reading, "President Obama pushed the button on the last tweet. It was his first ever tweet!"
While Mr. Obama had never personally used the micro-blogging site before today, his staff maintains a White House Twitter feed and a Barack Obama Twitter feed.
The Obama administration has made great strides in utilizing social media, particularly for the Haiti earthquake relief efforts. The State Department, for instance, facilitated the Red Cross SMS Haiti Relief Campaign, which has become the largest mobile donation campaign ever.
Mr. Obama noted today that the Red Cross has used Twitter to raise $21 million for Haiti relief efforts, Knoller reports.