It’s not surprising that the man who ran an unprecedented Internet campaign, a man who lives on his Blackberry would kick things up a notch when it came to the White House’s online presence.
As soon as Barack Obama was inaugurated as the country’s 44th president earlier today, his IT staff flipped the switch on a newly redesigned WhiteHouse.gov Website, complete with blog, RSS feed and online form citizens can use to write in requests for additional information they’d like to see on the site.
Whether the new president is true to his word to bring more transparency to government remains to be seen – he’s already drawn heat for not making himself accessible to the press.
But the newly redesigned White House Website is a start. For one, it features a Briefing Room section with updates on the presidential schedule and a blog. The blogger-in-chief is Macon Phillips, the White House’s new media director, and by dint of his position instantly becomes the country’s most influential social media trend setter.
You can also follow the official WhiteHouse.gov Twitter feed at @whitehouse_gov.
According to the Website’s Agenda section, Obama’s technology policy aims to:
- Ensure a free and full exchange of ideas through Internet and diverse media outlets
- Create a transparent and connected democracy to bring government into the 21st century
- Deploy a modern communications infrastructure
- Improve America’s competitiveness
- Prepare children and adults for the 21st century economy
- Use science, technology and innovation to solve nation’s problems
Interested in a White House job? Check here for openings – although as of Tuesday morning PST there still weren’t any listed.
The complete text of Obama’s inaugural address is expected to be posted on the site later Tuesday. Catch a video feed of the inaugural speech here.