Topic: government

A New President, A New Whitehouse.gov

Sholom Sandalow, Tuesday, January 20, 2009 @ 12:46 pm

Change has come to America, and so, too has it come to whitehouse.gov, the official website of the President of the United States.

One minute into the 44th Presidency, the website sports a radically new look (I'd love to hear how that was handled), and all the neccesary updates as a new administration moves in have already been made.   But the changes promise to be much more than cosmetic.  According to a statement on the White House Blog, Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House, "Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement."

Efforts will be made so that whitehouse.gov "puts citizens first" through three main priorities.  Again, from the same statement:

"Communication -- Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions.

Transparency -- President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities.

Participation -- President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it."
Read the full statement

I may have visited whitehouse.gov three or four times in my life, but I'll be back quite a bit after reading this, excited and hopeful about the ways that the new administration will use technology to connect to the people.

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