A look at prolific Twitter accounts

Lady Gaga, second left, signs autographs as she arrives at Vnukovo airport outside Moscow late Monday, Dec. 10, 2012. Lady Gaga, set to perform at Moscow's Olimpiisky stadium on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Lady Gaga, second left, signs autographs as she arrives at Vnukovo airport outside Moscow late Monday, Dec. 10, 2012. Lady Gaga, set to perform at Moscow's Olimpiisky stadium on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

FILE - This Oct. 16, 2012 file photo shows President Barack Obama embracing first lady Michelle Obama on stage after presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Every year fashion offers up the good, the bad and the ugly. But what the industry is really built on _ and consumers respond to _ is buzz. The wives of the presidential candidates turned out to the second debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in practically the same shade of hot pink. But they weren't by the same designer: Ann Romney's was by Oscar de la Renta, and Obama's by Michael Kors. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Pope Benedict XVI pushes a button on a tablet at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012. Pope Benedict XVI hit the 1 million Twitter follower mark on Wednesday as he sent his first tweet from his new account, blessing his online fans and urging them to listen to Christ. In perhaps the most drawn out Twitter launch ever, the 85-year-old Benedict pushed the button on a tablet brought to him at the end of his general audience after the equivalent of a papal drum roll by an announcer who intoned: "And now the pope will tweet!" "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart," the inaugural tweet read. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

LONDON (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI hit the 1 million Twitter follower mark on Wednesday as he sent his first tweet from his new account. In amassing an army of followers, the pontiff joined an elite circle of prolific tweeters. Below is a glance at other members of the Twitterati.

(at)LadyGaga

Pop icon Lady Gaga's account ranks as Twitter's most followed, with her musings and inspirational messages reaching 32 million followers. The Grammy-winning entertainer has sparked controversy over sometimes racy images and videos tweeted from her account, but she has also used the forum to promote charity and empowerment.

(at)BarackObama

The U.S. president's Twitter feed is run by the Obama campaign and has 24.4 million followers. Obama rarely sends his own tweets, but when he does he signs them, as he did in one sent to the first lady on Valentine's Day.

(at)KAKA

Brazilian football superstar Kaka was the first athlete to amass 10 million followers on Twitter, joining an elite group of online influencers. The Real Madrid midfielder's tweets are written in English, Spanish and Portuguese, reflecting his global appeal. At last count, his followers topped 13.7 million ? lagging just behind teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, with 14.8 million.

(at)DalaiLama

The 77-year-old Dalai Lama has amassed 5.7 million followers on Twitter. The exiled Buddhist spiritual leader of Tibet follows no other accounts, but posts every few days on the micro-blogging site. His messages are a mix of inspirational quotes and probing questions, with a few links to his appearances mixed in.

(at)RupertMurdoch

The media baron's controversial tweets are a mix of personal, politics and business news. With 376,000 followers, Murdoch has a far smaller Twitter flock than many bigwigs ? but his unedited and uncensored tweets have made the account a must-follow among media watchers.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-12-Pope%20Tweets-Glance/id-750b5e8bd623403abc0fef5bcfd8e258

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