First Ladies Use Social Media to Connect with Fans

Queen Rania, wife of Jordanian King Abdullah II, reveals her daily life to the world through regular updates on Twitter, Youtube and Facebook, CNN reported on Tuesday. She has more than 100,000 "friends" on her Facebook account and communicates with one million followers on Twitter.

Queen Rania is not the only spouse of a world leader who is taking advantage of the Internet to communicate with the world. French First Lady Carla Bruni and Sarah Brown, wife of U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, also love to chat on Twitter and Facebook as well as operate their own blogs.

Sarah Brown boasts a following of 832,000 people on her Twitter account. "I've always thought of Downing Street as a public building with very limited public access. So I have tried to open Number 10 up as much as possible," she told CNN. "My days just wouldn't be complete without finding out the latest news from them -- about their kids' exam results or the latest story from their daily lives."

From left, Queen Rania, Carla Bruni, and Sarah Brown From left, Queen Rania, Carla Bruni, and Sarah Brown

"The Internet has made it easier for everyone to communicate with their fans and friends," Queen Rania said in the CNN report. "For people in my position, it helps demystify the title and clarify what it is I do and what it is that's important to me." She added, "Social networks are the fastest, flattest, and simplest tools to connect with everyone."

Jennifer McLean, vice president of PR firm Techrunch, told CNN, "With the Internet, first ladies like Carla Bruni are out there whether they want it or not. But social media gives them control over what they put out and what they say."

englishnews@chosun.com / Oct. 29, 2009 10:42 KST