january 2009

The new website for the White House launched today with a decisively different look and feel, and a much different stance toward the online medium.   The site was posted precisely 1 minute after President Obama was sworn in, with one of the features scrolling by on the homepage welcoming visitors to “a central part of President Obama’s pledge to make his the most transparent and accountable administration in American history.”

Prominent on the homepage: A blog.  The first blog post: A message from Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House.  An excerpt from that first blog post:

Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration’s online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities: 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.

While I expected a lot of things to happen today, a new White House website with a new media communication strategy wasn’t one of them.  Change is good.  Have an opinion on what the new White House webshite should be or what Obama and his cabinet should be focusing on?  You could post it here, but you’d be far more likely to get noticed if you post it on the White House’s “contact us” form.

No word yet on Ted Stevens’ assessment of the effort.