HARRISBURG -- As many state legislators take the plunge into social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, state Sen. Jim Ferlo isn't exactly LOLing.

"I prefer actual visibility, not virtual visibility," said Mr. Ferlo, D-Highland Park. "I don't even really like the way people respond in e-mails with all those acronyms. I'm worried about the future of the English language."

Some politicians question whether social media sites are friends or foes, while others relish the Internet's free exposure to put a modern twist on campaigning, policy debate and constituent communication.

Twitter.com was created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey. The "micro-blogging" service allows users to answer the question "What are you doing?" in 140 characters or less while accruing "followers" who can view the so-called "tweets."

Facebook.com was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard dropout turned multimillionaire. The site allows users to create profiles and establish a network of selected friends.

State Rep. Dave Reed, R-Indiana, uses his Facebook page to attract feedback on policy issues ranging from buying liquor with welfare money to low-income health-care plans.

"The most amazing part is, interaction-wise, I hear from folks that would never call into my office, never come to a town hall meeting and never write me a letter," Mr. Reed said. "But they'll take 30 seconds to write on my profile about what they think of an issue."

Mr. Ferlo is familiar with social media, but you won't catch him on Facebook or Twitter anytime soon. Give him a call. He has been publicly listed all his life, he said.

But Mr. Ferlo couldn't peruse Facebook at work, even if he wanted to. Facebook and MySpace, another popular social networking site, are blocked from many of the Capitol's Internet servers, said Brett Marcy, House Democrat spokesman.

"Our position is if you're at work, you should be doing work," Mr. Marcy said. "Facebook is not work, especially when you're talking about taxpayer dollars."

Twittering, which is permitted, is "like text messaging" and is less distracting to lawmakers, added Mr. Marcy, who posts as "PAHousedems."

Under user name "repchristiana," state Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver, uses the TwitterBerry application on his BlackBerry from the House floor to give frequent "inside scoops" -- snippets that don't warrant mainstream media coverage.

For example, on June 17 the 25-year-old lawmaker "tweeted" the absurdity of spending time on Philadelphia Democrat Rep. Ron Waters' bill christening the last week in June as "Rubbernecking Awareness Week" in the midst a $3.2 billion budget deficit.

Other area legislators also are "tweeting" up a storm.

Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon, on Twitter under user name "johnpippy," said the site is a great place to give updates on this month's inevitable late-night budget discussions. The 38-year-old also created a Facebook profile one month ago to keep in touch with pals from the Army.

"I have a lot of friends from across the political spectrum," Mr. Pippy said. "On there, people are friending me as John -- the guy they went to college with or served in the military with."

In some cases, staffers create and maintain Facebook or Twitter accounts for lawmakers strictly as public relations tools. Until his daughter alerted him, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, didn't even realize a House Republican Caucus member had made him a Facebook page.

But PR tools can quickly become PR headaches. Legislators should monitor their Facebook pages for inappropriate content posted by others.

"Members who decide to use these tools need to understand that there are risks involved," Mr. Marcy said. "What is said online never goes away. It's an easy rule to forget."

It's a risk Mr. Pippy and others are willing to take.

"When you're a public figure, especially in this age, you're very public. You can't really worry about stuff like that too much," he said. "People will write whatever they want, and you can't be afraid to go out there and do your job."