The Monkey Shack

Not long after I blogged about how Obama could continue to use social media in his presidency, he has already started to do so. The Presidenct-Elect has set up a new website called change.gov, complete with a blog, multimedia, Obama's stance on issues and his political agenda, pages calling for Americans to "Share Your Story" and "Share Your Vision," and another page calling on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges.

The bar on the right states: "The story of this campaign is your story. It is about the great things we can do when we come together around a common purpose. We want to hear your inspiring stories from the campaign and Election Day."

UPDATE 11.10.08:
CBS News Science and Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg noted on The Early Show Friday that the online push went further than the candidates' personal Web sites, as both Mr. Obama and John McCain tapped into the newest forms of social interaction, from Facebook to MySpace, even text messages. Obama employed the Web to raise record amounts of money for a presidential campaign.

"A lot of elections have been won because of television appearances," Doug Jaeger, a Web designer for thehappycorp.com, told Sieberg. "How people are appearing on the Internet is becoming more and more important."

Mr. Obama must now shift from campaign mode to governing mode with his cyber-supporters, Sieberg points out.

"The Internet has changed the game dramatically," says Andrew Rasiej, founder of TechPresident.com. "It's as if, in 2004, the Internet was allowed into the conference room of politics; in 2006, it was allowed to sit at the table; but in 2008, it's sitting at the head of the table, holding the agenda."

Mr. Obama has said he'd like to appoint a chief technology officer, perhaps at the cabinet level, and he's made it clear he will embrace new technologies in office -- technologies such as Skype, a video tool Sieberg used to get this quote from John Tedesco, a Virginia Tech political communications professor: "(Mr.) Obama recognized that young voters are using social networking sites and social networking software, and he brought his campaign to the young voters online."

Ultimately, according to tech experts, the most important part of Mr. Obama's future strategy is to ensure his digital followers continue to feel empowered.

Says Rasiej, "We're going to see this online community become really the special interest of the Obama presidency. Not the lobbyists, not the people who've traditionally give money, but the people who actually know how to use these tools to make sure that their voices are heard."

Think of it, suggest Sieberg, as the 21st century equivalent of giving power to the people.

And, Sieberg says, there's a sense that people are going to become more deeply involved in local politics, from school boards to running for office themselves, as a result of this online empowerment.

UPDATE 11.24.08: Obama has appointed his Social Secretary, close friend and prominent Chicago businesswoman Desirée Rogers. A Washington Post article about her appointment points out "This appointment sends a strong message that the Obamas want to use the White House strategically, to maximize its use in a way that is consistent with their philosophy -- [to] open it to a broader range of people." The President-elect has also begun posting his weekly messages on YouTube, opting for the web iinstead of radio where Presidents have held their weekly addresses, starting with FDR's "fireside chats."