Within minutes of Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th US President, the website of the White House was changed, confirming that the new administration would aggressively use internet as a key tool to connect itself with the masses.
"Change has come to WhiteHouse.Gov," said Macon Phillips, Director of New Media for the White House in a message posted on the website, adding that the new administration would use internet as a tool to connect itself with the people of the country.
"A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world," Phillips said.
"As millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future, WhiteHouse.Gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement," wrote the Director of New Media for the White House.
"Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.Gov and the rest of the Administration's online programmes will put citizens first," he said, adding that the new media efforts will centre around three priorities -- communication, transparency and participation.
"We'd also like to hear from you -- what sort of things would you find valuable from the website? Like the transition website and the campaigns before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you," he said.
