I have an ongoing social "relationship" with a Member of Congress.

Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, is my "Tweetie." (But not to be confused with my Man Crush, Sen. Barack Obama.)

Actually, Rep. Culberson and I Twitter one another on a semi-regular basis. I have had interesting discussions (in 140 characters or less) on technology issues, open government, and social media. Rep. Culberson, a conservative Republican, is a firm believer in open government and uses Twitter as a way to communicate with his constituents--and beyond.

Frankly, I've had more direct discussions with my new Texas pal than my own South Dakota delegation over the past month or two. But that also shows the power of social media like Twitter.

Colleague Bob Schwartz at Politics and Hypocrisy has an extensive posting about Congressional use of Twitter and how the body is having difficulty adjusting to giving its members full freedom to use new technologies like Twitter. I urge you to read Bob's extensive post on this issue.

I salute Rep. Culberson (@johnculberson at Twitter, BTW) and other Congressmen and women who are trying new ways to keep in touch with the people who send them to Washington.

You can Twitter me at @SDWatch.

Cross posted to SD Watch and Kansas Watch.

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