Obama tweets as Red Cross volunteer

President Obama hopped on the Red Cross Twitter account Tuesday to thank another user for urging donations to disaster relief services. He added in the tweet: "By the way, this is Barack Obama."

@caitlin_sutton Thank you for your support. BTW this is @barackobama serving as a digital volunteer during my visit to #RedCross HQ.

— American Red Cross (@RedCross) October 30, 2012

The president visited the Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., to help raise awareness for the agency's response to the damaging effects of Hurricane Sandy. 

Wendy Harman, the Red Cross's director of social strategy, tweeted that Obama sent the tweet as a temporary "digital volunteer." He apparently responded to a tweet at random, thanking a Twitter user who had urged her followers to donate to the disaster relief fund. The Red Cross Twitter account often interacts with followers but typically does not identify who is tweeting. In this case, Obama put a face to a tweet.

POTUS just visited the #RedCross digiDOC and even sent a tweet as a digital volunteer!

— Wendy Harman (@wharman) October 30, 2012

The Red Cross used Twitter extensively to share information during and since the storm hit the East Coast Monday, and urged donations by text message. According to the volunteer organization, nearly 11,000 people spent Monday night in 258 Red Cross-provided shelters in 16 states due to the hurricane.

Obama has sent several tweets urging donations to the Red Cross over the past few days, as has GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. A week from the election, both candidates canceled several campaign events Monday and Tuesday due to the storm.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the storm. Support Red Cross relief efforts here: OFA.BO/2iMcEV -bo

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 30, 2012

Please support the #Sandy relief efforts by donating to the Red Cross. Text REDCROSS to 90999 or click here: rdcrss.org/PSpvi2

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 27, 2012

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