Obama interacts with his virtual citizens

US president Barack Obama US president Barack Obama made an appearance on the social media site Reddit on Thursday, where he was invited to take part in a Q&A debate known as AMA (ask me anything.) Over 20,000 questions were put to the president ranging from the more serious issues such as \"How are you going help small businesses in 2013 and 2014?\" to the  light hearted topics such as \"Toilet
paper - facing out, or facing in?\"
The event lasted thirty minutes, and the online technology magazine The Kernel’s associate editor told Arabstoday the appearance was: \"An acknowledgment that it is a \'point winning factor\'. He didn\'t do it because he strongly believes that social media is the way to win electors, I think he did it because he needs to keep his image fresh and young and \'down with the people.\' Appearing
online is important for that.\"
When asked what the most difficult decision he had made as President was he answered: \"The decision to surge our forces in Afghanistan though the decision did help us blunt the
Taliban\'s momentum.\"
In the run up to the US presidential election, the decision to engage the online community shows that campaign managers recognise the online community as worth targeting.