If you have a question for Congressman Chris Lee, he will be available online to answer it for you at noon today, but to ask it, you'll need to have an account on the popular social networking service Twitter.
Lee announced that he is holding a "Twitter Town Hall" today, and through his Twitter account @chrislee_ny26 he has said questions have already started flowing in.
Lee has 2,086 followers on Twitter.
People with or without Twitter accounts can follow the conversation through the hash tag #askchris.
People who ask questions of Lee should direct them to @chrislee_ny26 and tag them with #askchris.
Twitter has gained wide popularity around the world for its ability to allow friends and associates to quickly share information even though messages are limited to 140 characters.
In a press release, Lee's staff says the congressman has held some 30 town hall meetings during his first term either in person or by telephone. This is his first Twitter Town Hall meeting.
Lee's office also maintains accounts on YouTube, Facebook and Picasa.
I have to give Congressman
I have to give Congressman Lee a good deal of credit for doing this. I think he's been pretty effective in reaching out to voters on their schedule. He has a twitter town hall so people who are digitally connected and who aren't available during a weekday afternoon can submit questions electronically at their own convenience (also reaches out to his younger constituents). His telephone town halls are during the evening so people who work or are searching for a job can participate.
I still disagree with him on most issues, but in terms of involving his constituents, he's done a pretty good job.
Yes this is the real me saying nice things about Chris Lee.
I thought it was an
I thought it was an interesting experiment, but I can't say I got a lot out of it. As much as I love Twitter, the format doesn't lend itself to a useful political discussion among constituents and elected officials.
Now, if Chris (not staff) regularly engaged with constituents through Twitter, that would be impressive and useful.
Not that I'm complaining. I think it's very cool that he gave it a try.
Twitter should be an ongoing
Twitter should be an ongoing town hall for Chris, not something periodic or scheduled.