WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley has been keeping in touch with Iowa ’s youngest citizens through social networking sites Facebook and MySpace. Grassley became a member of both sites earlier this year.
Grassley joined the sites as another way to communicate with Iowans and strengthen the process of representative government. He posts events, blogs and other notes detailing his daily work and his life. There are also photos posted from events in Washington and Iowa .
“I know that high school and college age students use social networking sites in their daily routine. I hope they will use it to stay in touch with me too.” Grassley said. “Social networking has expanded to post college life and the professional world too and I want all Iowans to feel comfortable communicating with me on these sites.”
Of the nearly 100 million profiles on Facebook and MySpace, about half of them are older than college age. Facebook was originally designed for college students to network with other students at their school or friends at other schools. It has since expanded to include everyone interested in joining. MySpace is also available to everyone.
Grassley soon plans to offer video podcasts along with the audio podcasts he already offers through his website, http://grassley.senate.gov. Grassley’s weekly webcast which can now be viewed on his website, will soon be available to download to your own computer or handheld device. Each week in his webcast he takes you to new places around Capitol Hill and answers questions that Iowans have emailed to him at Grassley_webcast@grassley.senate.gov.
Grassley has kept in touch with Iowans in many different ways during his time in Congress. Every year since he has been in the U.S. Senate, Grassley has visited each of Iowa ’s 99 counties. He also blocks out two hours a day of his office schedule to meet with Iowans who’ve scheduled an appointment to see him while in the nation’s capital.
“Representative government is a two-way street. That’s why I do my best to uphold my end of the bargain. I encourage Iowans to attend my town meetings, send an e-mail, write a letter or call my offices to share their views. I respond to each and every one,” Grassley said. “Facebook and MySpace offer another opportunity to keep the communication flowing.”