Reply #4: Reuters: Chavez hires hundreds to help him reply on Twitter [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

Chavez hires hundreds to help him reply on Twitter
Charlie Devereux
CARACAS
Sat May 8, 2010 4:54pm BST

(Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez may have recently discovered the joys of "tweeting," but now he is finding that Twitter can also have drawbacks for presidents.

The Latin American country's loquacious leftist leader launched himself onto the micro-blogging site last week to counter opponents who have increasingly been using it to pour scorn on his government.

His account, @chavezcandanga, drew nearly a quarter of a million followers -- many of them presumably curious whether the former paratrooper famed for his hours-long speeches could adapt to Twitter's 140-character limit.

But now he has been overwhelmed with responses and has hired 200 people to help him respond to the more than 50,000 messages he says he has received in just nine days.

"This is more work for me because I can't stop replying," he said during a lengthy televised speech late on Friday. "So I've taken a decision, such is the avalanche of messages."

More:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6471IJ20100508?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=401