Obama makes quick move to update whitehouse.gov

20.01.2009
Inauguration day historically is known as being all about a peaceful passage of power. But a change of administration wasn't the only change happening as President took his oath of office.

As Obama was , the whitehouse.gov Web site was getting a change of its own.

At noon Tuesday, the president's official Web site appeared online with a new design, focusing not just on the new administration but on new media, like a where users can go to read the and even sign up for email .

In a blog post, Macon Phillips, Director of New Media for the White House, said that non-emergency legislation will be posted on the site for five days, giving citizens a chance to review and comment on it.

"Especially with their campaign, they've shown how savvy they are with these tools," said Caroline Dangson, an analyst with IDC. "He used these tools to connect with people and gave them hope that they do have a say in government. Obama has surrounded himself with people who are technically savvy. His thinking is to empower Americans and make them feel part of a social change and social media is a part of that."

During his campaign for president, Obama seemingly showed other politicians what it means to harness the Web. The then-senator went beyond the somewhat static Web pages of most past campaigns, by tapping the power of Web 2.0 tools, including , , blogs and discussion boards, to create a conversation with potential voters.