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Read more with google mobile : Twitter returns Chavez to Venezuela's reality |

Edition: U.S. Article Comments (3) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared China delays Gates trip in apparent snub for Taiwan 7:38am EDT Iran to sell 45 bln euros, buy dollars, gold -Xinhua 6:43am EDT Hole opens in Guatemala neighborhood, 3 missing 23 Feb 2007 Blagojevich trial may entangle Obama 11:30am EDT Snag slows BP bid to curb spill | Video 3:26pm EDT Butt test shows U.S. cigarettes high in chemicals 01 Jun 2010 Caffeine addicts get no real perk from morning cup 10:59am EDT Apple's Steve Jobs finds Foxconn deaths "troubling" 2:27am EDT Japan PM Hatoyama resigns | Video 10:09am EDT UPDATE 1-Alabama closes oyster beds, warns swimmers over oil 01 Jun 2010 Caffeine addicts get no real perk from morning cup 10:59am EDT Iran to sell 45 bln euros, buy dollars, gold -Xinhua 6:43am EDT Butt test shows U.S. cigarettes high in chemicals 01 Jun 2010 AT&T to end unlimited use mobile data plan 2:44pm EDT Hole opens in Guatemala neighborhood, 3 missing 23 Feb 2007 Google phases out Microsoft Windows use: report 01 Jun 2010 U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade 14 Oct 2009 UPDATE 1-Alabama closes oyster beds, warns swimmers over oil 01 Jun 2010 Blagojevich trial may entangle Obama 11:30am EDT Japan PM Hatoyama resigns | Video 10:09am EDT Twitter returns Chavez to Venezuela's reality Enrique Andres Pretel CARACAS Wed Jun 2, 2010 12:35pm EDT Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez looks at his Blackberry while attending a ceremony at the headquarters of the state-run oil company PDVSA in Caracas May 12, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Related News FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in Venezuela Tue, Jun 1 2010 FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in Colombia Mon, May 31 2010 Chavez says GDP slump heralds death of capitalism Wed, May 26 2010 War ebbing, Colombia enjoys oil boom Wed, May 26 2010 UPDATE 2-Venezuela recession drags, GDP falls 5.8 pct Q1 Tue, May 25 2010 CARACAS (Reuters) - Faithful followers of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez commonly defend any failures of his more than a decade in power by saying he must have been unknowingly misled by ministers and sycophants. World | Technology | Media By contrast, critics in the opposition say the former paratrooper has lost touch with reality and the problems of ordinary Venezuelans from his lofty perch as leader of South America's biggest oil exporter. And while Chavez may deny both theories, he does acknowledge having found an unexpected ally in Twitter -- a way to hear first-hand the requests, demands, complaints and denunciations of citizens in their tens of thousands, albeit summarized in 140 characters via the micro-blogging site. "This telephone is close to melting. Now I am aware of many things going on here," Chavez said during a meeting with police officials, brandishing his Blackberry. Spurred by an explosion in Twitter's popularity in the Latin American country and annoyed by what he says was the opposition's domination of its electronic media, the president signed up as @chavezcandanga in April. In only about a month, his "followers" numbered more than 450,000 -- making his account the most watched in Venezuela. "Chavez turned himself into a user of the power of digital platforms, which I think is an interesting political movement," said Andrea Hoare, digital trends professor at the Central University of Venezuela. "Rather than fight them, he joined." "WE HAVE TO LISTEN" Since coming to power in 1999, Chavez has received thousands of letters appealing for help with medical expenses, finding a home or jobs for relatives. Now these requests are digital. He has taken to micro-blogging with a passion himself -- breaking the predawn news that a gas exploration rig had sunk last month, and calling on the public to 'Tweet' him with cases of people changing money illegally, among many other examples. "Look at this message: @chavezcandanga, we are graduates of UNEF Zulia (university), 90 percent of us are unemployed. Please help commander," he read out one entreaty during a televised cabinet meeting. "We are going to deal with this. We can't ignore it. That would be very irresponsible. We have to listen, talk and find solutions." One local study of messages to Chavez's account in between May 7-8 found that 43 percent were petitions and complaints, 31 percent were positive and 17.6 percent were negative. The president says he has learned three important lessons from his new form of contact with the outside world: that Venezuela is still living in the "reign of injustice" that is capitalism, that socialism is far from achieving its goals and, most importantly, that people still believe in him. "It is sad if people have no one to believe in, no one to write to, nowhere to go to criticize, to complain, to ask for help," he said. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS Chavez now reads out messages he has received at almost all public events. His reactions range from explosive laughter to outrage -- and not anger at offensive texts, which he usually takes with good humor, but at Venezuelans' appeals for help in the face of corruption or incompetence in the government. After reading each petition, he earnestly orders his ministers to seek a solution, while nodding officials carrying clipboards list the names and problems he dictates. "Look at this message: 'My boss is suffering a terrible lung disease,'" he read out last week. "Do you realize? These things stay with you. Sometimes I can't sleep because I think 'Oh my God!' and I start to reply and I call the ministers: 'Help me here. Locate this person.'" While Twitter has helped Chavez reach supporters, analysts warn it could be a double-edged sword for him at a time when the economy's poor performance and a power crisis are denting his popularity ahead of legislative elections in September. Chavez has received such a digital avalanche of requests for assistance that he recently said he had hired 200 people to help him respond to them all. But that may not be enough. "To his supporters, it is clear that he is the one who resolves things and that the problem is the people around him," said Billy Vaisberg, director of Twitter Venezuela (twitter-venezuela.com). "How is he going to come out of it now that people believe they are sending their messages to the only one who can solve them?" (Editing by Daniel Wallis) World Technology Media Comments See All Comments (3) | Post Comment Jun 02, 2010 12:44pm EDT After hiring those 200 people, he will lose contact with reality once again… pedroquintero Report As Abusive Jun 02, 2010 2:17pm EDT Wha? Twitter is the new reality? Run. nickjacket Report As Abusive Jun 02, 2010 2:38pm EDT He only reads his tweets when he is in front of a TV Camera broadcasting his mandatory TV “chains” for hours for any, most of the time trivial, reasons. He has 200 persons, probably cubans or at least supervised by cubans, hired to answer for him. He has about 450.000 followers yet he only follows 5 twitters. A great number of his 450.000 followers are foreigners or oppose him and only follow him to be informed of his latest insult, as most of what Chavez says are insults to his opposition, to the US, to capitalism… The fact that he has twitter doesn’t make him more aware of Venezuela’s reality, it only makes him omnipresent, Mao, Stalin, Fidel Castro, Hussein. Which reminds me, he, as Mao, has published a Red Book all his party followers must read and carry with them. Chim.Bon Report As Abusive See All Comments (3) Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

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