United Russia is developing a system of rating party members' effectiveness that will factor in the use of Twitter.

"Start a Twitter account — get a plus. If not — sorry, nothing personal, zero," deputy head of United Russia's Central Executive Committee Andrei Ilnitsky said, RBK reported. "Lead a roundtable, give an interview — two plusses," he said.

The evaluation of a party member's activity level in public space will be just one component of the new system, which will be similar to the Key Performance Indicators widely used in the business world.

A number of ruling party members have Twitter accounts with thousands of followers, including State Duma speaker Andrei Vorobyov, blogger and former Duma deputy Konstantin Rykov, and former Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov.

President Dmitry Medvedev has touted his Internet proficiency and operates a Twitter account, a LiveJournal blog and a Facebook page. Prime Minister and United Russia head Vladimir Putin has said he does not use the Internet regularly because he is too busy.