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Meet Rep. Mark Takano, the frosh congressman who Vines

California Democratic Rep. Mark Takano uses Twitter's new video service to record himself submitting his first piece of legislation and YouTube to broadcast his first floor speech.

Daniel Terdiman Former Senior Writer / News
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer at CNET News covering Twitter, Net culture, and everything in between.
Daniel Terdiman
2 min read
Freshman Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) used Twitter's video service Vine to record the process of submitting his first piece of legislation. Screenshot by CNET

California Democrat Mark Takano, a freshman congressman, today released a Vine and a YouTube video showcasing milestone achievements in his nascent legislative career.

Takano used a Vine to show the process of submitting his first piece of legislation, and also released a YouTube video showing his first speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Takano's use of Twitter's new video service is the latest in a string of people utilizing Vine for what might be considered emergent purposes. One reporter created a (much-derided) resume on Vine, while the service has also already become a new way of reporting news.

But despite his use of social media to promote his legislative agenda, Takano doesn't exactly think of himself as a techie. "Some people would say I'm a geek," the congressman told CNET. "I don't consider myself a techie geek. My chief of staff is probably the first [geek on staff] and [my legislative] director probably picked out the best techie geek resumes."

Still, Takano knows that new technologies like Vine give him and other politicians an interesting way to share what they're up to with their constituents -- and the rest of the world, as well. And he decided to Vine his submission of his first bill because the process gave him the opportunity to "distill a press release to its essence...trying to capture me signing my first bill and delivering it."

Already, many have taken note of Takano's Vine, and he said that he "had no idea a few frames we took with a cell phone could reach so many people."