Well at least the new administration hasn't forgotten that new media was a major part of its victory in November. With the new WhiteHouse.gov site design going live today, there are a number of new features that are firsts for an American presidential website.
First, there is a blog! And a director of New Media, Macon Phillips! And the very first posts touts communication, transparency, and participation! Is this Washington DC or Silicon Valley! And why am I using so many exclamation points!
Though most impressive of all...
"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."
All of this is pretty groundbreaking in my opinion. Not that a blog is necessarily groundbreaking, and technically speaking citizens could always review legislation, but the concept of a presidential blog and online citizen review of legislation...that's just great.
Whether it be Obama or anyone else in the future, Democrat, Republican, or a third party, let's hope this sets a precedent for future administrations to follow.
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