FLOTUS' First Tweet Is Much Ado About Nothing
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 01:00AM Gina, MOW Founder 
For a minute I thought I had died and gone to Twitter heaven. Could First Lady Michelle Obama actually have a Twitter page - NOT. When I first read the headlines about FLOTUS' first Tweet I quickly headed over to Twitter to find her official page. If I would've read the entire story perhaps I would not have been disappointed.
Washington (CNN) -- It was my first chance to spend some quality time at dinner with First Lady Michelle Obama, so I decided to do what my pal Ali Velshi would probably do in the same situation: get her hooked on Twitter.
I was sitting with the first lady and Jay Leno at the head table for Saturday night's White House Correspondents Association Dinner because I'm a member of the association's board, a front-row seat to the slew of celebrities who walked up to gawk at Mrs. Obama and the president, who was a few seats from me...
I was snapping pics of the celebrity parade on my iPhone and posting them to my Twitter account, @edhenrycnn, during dessert, just a few minutes before the president and Leno would take their turns at telling some jokes.
Leno, a social media skeptic, finally turned to me with squinted eyes and said in a conspiratorial tone, "Are you tweeting right now?"
I confessed to Leno that I was, sparking Mrs. Obama to ask me whether journalists find value in social media or whether it's mostly trivial. I said I find it helpful to get feedback, good and bad, from people who follow my tweets.When Mrs. Obama mentioned that she had never tweeted, I noted that the president had sent out his first tweet a few months ago from a Red Cross account to promote relief to Haiti and wondered aloud: "Why don't you send out your first tweet on my iPhone?"
The first lady laughed and said her press staff wouldn't be happy if she went rogue like that. Besides, she said, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs would have to sign off first.
Noting that Gibbs was sitting at the other end of the head table, I stood and told the first lady I'd ask him.
To my surprise, Gibbs instantly told me it was a fun idea, on one condition: I had to first send out a tweet saying he had endorsed it, so that colleagues on Mrs. Obama's staff were not blindsided.
I typed out a tweet saying, "i am trying to coax First Lady to do her first ever tweet. Gibbs @presssec just gave his blessing."
Then I walked back to Mrs. Obama to tell her the good news. But she told me good-naturedly, "Gibbs did not say that; you're lying!" I assured the first lady I would not tell her a fib, which prompted Leno to jump to his feet to say he'd go get Gibbs to sort this out once and for all.
A laughing Gibbs came over and advised the first lady it would be a harmless exercise, but she was skeptical until the commander in chief finally weighed in.
Hearing the light-hearted argument playing out a few seats down, the president asked, "What's going on?"
The first lady explained her dilemma, but the president waved his hand as if to say "no big deal" and told her to go for it.
I handed the first lady my iPhone, but it quickly became apparent that she had very little experiences with this smartphone. Like many people, she said, "How do you type on this?"
Gibbs, who was looking over our shoulders, suggested that I type it out, so I told Mrs. Obama to start dictating the note. I started my typing "from flotus," as in "first lady of the United States."
She joked about the pressure of coming up with something interesting to say. She started simply with how she was at the dinner and dictated, "this is officially my first Twitter" and added her thoughts about the comedy acts about to perform.
I knew Mrs. Obama should have called it her first "tweet," but I didn't want to be in the uncomfortable position of correcting the first lady -- my mom would be appalled -- and sounding like a tech know-it-all.
She asked Gibbs for his opinion on what she had dictated, and he said the proper way to say it was that it was her first tweet. Mrs. Obama grilled me on whether Gibbs was right, and I said he was but I didn't want to be the one changing her words, so she politely asked me to change it so that she sounded as hip as possible.
The final version, for the history books: "from flotus: 'here at dinner this is officially my first Tweet. i am looking forward to some good laughs from the potus and jay'". Ed Henry CNN Politics
FLOTUS" first tweet was sent from CNN Ed Henry's Twitter account, not her own. What a bummer. I mean it's great for Ed and his bragging rights, but wouldn't it be great if the First Lady had her own official Twitter account? I know it would be much like POTUS'; run by the press office and heavily guarded. But wouldn't it be great if it gave us more than just the who, what, when, where, why, and yawn inspiring quotes that most political based Twitter pages offer?
I want to know what my fellow Michelle Obama Watchers think. Would you like to see the First Lady get an official Twitter page? What would you like to see updates on?
I wouldn't want to see personal updates, but it would be interesting if each week a different East Wing staffer manned the Twitter updates; from the Social Secretary to the stylist. I think those Tweets would be worth following. If Laura Bush can get 6,000 followers in just under a month, I am betting that Michelle Obama can easily top that in one day.
Posted by Aminah Hanan
Reader Comments (8)
Oh Yes would love for FLOTUS to have twitter account but must say its additive..I find myself doing it all the time.
A twitter account so we could conversate about hair, clothes,her garden or even about BO would be great. Most important we can have updates on her Obesity program..So maybe if enough people inquire about they would go for it..
I can't believe a whole story was done on this. I love Michelle but I don't think she should get a twitter, facebook, etc. because she is too classy for that. Leave those to politicians who quit, crazy celebrities and teenyboppers.
It would not be a good idea for the First Lady to have a twitter account...I can already see the headlines about some fool hacking into the thing.
Please no! You know that would be a racist magnet!
I love FLOTUS Michelle Obama I'd definitely follow her on Twitter
It would be fun given our FLOTUS is a "hip" mom of two beautiful girls and a 21st century mom for that matter...and tweets from her stylist, cook, staff, Potus and MILOPOTUS (Mother In Law of POTUS) would be fun....BUT secret service needs to stay on top so no jack-headed person will hack in to her account and mess it up...Much love and respect for the FFOTUSA (First Family Of The U.S.A
It would be fun given our FLOTUS is a “hip” mom of two beautiful girls and a 21st century mom for that matter…and tweets from her stylist, cook, staff, Potus and MILOPOTUS (Mother In Law of POTUS) would be fun….BUT secret service needs to stay on top so no jack-headed person will hack in to her account and mess it up…Much love and respect for the FFOTUSA (First Family Of The U.S.A
No Tweeter for FLOTUS....