The 2.0 Commander-in-Chief

WaPo’s Jose Antonio Vargas writes about how the Obama administration is using the Web to help govern … with social networking a centerpiece:

[O]nline social networking is designed to foster a community. For that approach to be effective, WhiteHouse.gov can’t just push information out — it has to pull content in, too. And once it does so, the administration will have to decide whether, when and how to incorporate those voices into its decision-making process.

Says Google chief/Obama adviser Eric Schmidt, “This is a part of our Internet culture, and it’s an emerging part of our political culture — you, as a citizen, get to talk back to your government.”

One of the first sites set up by the Obama transition team was Change.gov where you can watch YouTube videos of transition staffers, track transition meetings and post your own questions and comments.

Pres. Bush’s Internet director David Almacy tells Vargas, “Clinton was the first Web president. Bush is the first digital president, Obama is the first online social networking president.”

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.