ROBERT GIBBS EXPOSED!!! (Not Really)

ABC News’ Kim Berryman reports:

I know where White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs used to spend his childhood vacations. I know what he argued with his cousin about. I’m aware that he once helped a friend carry kegs down the National Mall for a Fourth of July beer party.

But why would he share this information?

He didn’t.

The Facebook Group "I Knew Robert Gibbs Back When…" has, as of today, 151 members ranging from cousins and classmates to former colleagues. And all have tidbits to share about the spokesperson for the most powerful political office on Earth.

In his last radio address before inauguration, President Barack Obama promised Americans that he would "carry the voices of ordinary Americans to Washington."

Who would have guessed that many of these voices would also carry humorous and perhaps embarrassing anecdotes about the leaders themselves?

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace….never before has an administration had so many platforms to monitor for information overload. 

Obama’s Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau, 27, knows the dangers of public access all too well. His party pic with a Hillary Clinton cutout, first reported by the Washington Post’s Al Kamen, made waves on blogs and cable news last year.

By the way, if Favreau’s Facebook profile seems to have disappeared in recent months, that’s just because he’s blocked it to all but close friends. Many White House staffers, learning from Favreau’s lesson, have closed down their social media websites, or stripped their pages down to bare-bones information. For security reasons, White House computers do not allow social network sites, and it’s unclear if any White House staffers "twitter." (Or if they’d have the time to.)

For other young staffers such as Eugene Kang, 24, and Reggie Love, 26, Facebook is still a part of life. Yet one can be certain they do not use the site as freely as they did before their White House gigs.

"The truth is when you are in the public eye, like many of these young staffers are, you have a bull’s-eye on your back," says a knowledgeable Democrat. "They are just being cognizant of the fact that they are representing the president and the White House."

Love, Obama’s popular personal assistant, has smartly kept his online profile more private. Not to be deterred, family and friends still write messages of encouragement on his "public figure" page.

"what’s up cus!!!!!!!!!!!! i cant believe i used too beat you n bball when you were small!! proud of you sir!!!!!"

Unlike previous presidents, Mr. Obama supervises a staff that includes some with little recollection of life without internet. (It’s hard to imagine Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson grappling with Facebook identity management.)

As for Robert Gibbs…he was "a great goalie for our high school soccer team. He never hesitated to dive in front of somebody’s foot to protect the goal. I think that’s great training to be the White House press secretary!!" one former teammate posted on his website.

Time will tell what shots will come from the World Wide Web and if the White House Press Secretary is still agile enough to maneuver in an exposed administration.

– ABC News’ Kim Berryman