Webware

Politicians are flocking to Twitter. Whether they're Democrats or Republicans, they're finding new ways to talk to their constituents. I've found 20 politicians who are using the micro-blog to communicate their policies. Some are more active -- and more interesting -- than others. Here's the rundown:

Democrats

President Obama started the political Twitter craze.

(Credit: BarackObama.com)

Barack Obama If it weren't for this President, most politicians probably wouldn't be on Twitter. He made the service appealing to politicians by showing them that it's a great way to establish a grassroots campaign. Currently, he has staffers tweeting for him, mostly discussing his policies in office. It's an informative Twitter stream. See also the White House on Twitter.

Barbara Boxer Barbara Boxer, a U.S. senator from California, is quite active on Twitter. But she has her staff update her Twitter stream, only diving in personally form time to time. Her tweets mostly discuss where she will be appearing, so it's not too informative.

Chris Dodd Sen. Chris Dodd's Twitter account is a little sneaky: the tweets sound like Dodd is updating his stream, but if you dig a little deeper, it turns out that his Twitter account is for his "office." So, it's not really Dodd updating his stream even though his staff makes it sound that way. Regardless, they're interesting tweets. You'll gain insight into the Senate proceedings, see where he stands on issues, and find some interesting political links. Dodd's Twitter account is worth following.

Dick Durbin Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin is on Twitter. He has 99 followers. There's just one issue: he's never updated his Twitter stream. I find it appalling that such an important figure in U.S. politics can create a Twitter profile and not update it. Don't follow Durbin.