Change.gov

Change.gov

I had a friend that worked heavily with the Obama campaign using their social networking methods.  She indicated the other day that Obama intends to keep his networks in place in an effort to do grass-roots lobbying of congress on particular issues.  We could be in for a truly transformational government if the administration uses these tools (effectively) to create an active democracy that involves more than casting a ballot every 4 years.  Of course, it won’t go as smoothly as any of us would hope – and it certainly won’t create any sort of Utopian vision.

Nevertheless, it seems like Obama is keeping good to his word.  He has launched “change.gov” as a mechanism by which to communicate the details of his transition to power.  It will be interesting to follow what information he communicates through this site and how he uses it to continue to generate enthusiasm for his initiatives.

Interestingly, you can also apply for a job with the administration through the site.  I would love to see the applications he gets through the site.  I went ahead and registered my name to see how it would play out.  Right now, all it does is collect your information with the promise of links to the full application in the future.  I’ll keep you informed about how things go. The cynical side of me says its just a ploy to collect personal information, but I’ll withhold judgment.

Of course, I have absolutely no intention of leaving BC for anything short of a cabinet-level job (and we all know how likely that is), but -hey- I’d help out on a task force or something.  Of course, I was invited to do the same thing for Deval Patrick, which was one of the most painful meetings I have ever sat through.  Let’s just say that government culture doesn’t exactly mesh with a Web 2.0-enabled organization.  It will be interesting to see this push of Web 2.0 tools into governing and whether it will take hold or not.

The reply email is below.

Hello Gerald, 

Thank you for your interest in joining the Obama-Biden Administration.  Within a few days, you will receive an email with a link to the more complete on-line application.  Please be patient, as we are trying to respond promptly to the large number of people who are interested in working in the Administration.

Tech Joy

Tech Joy

While reading Joy’s post I was struck with the following thought:  I wonder if the increased turnout among young people in the election is partially a result of Web 2.0 tools in general.  For my generation (the TV generation), people were accustomed to sitting back and being part of the audience.  For today’s generation, they are accustomed to giving their feedback.  Could this conditioning of offering one’s opinion through Web 2.0 tools have led more young people to be willing to offer their opinions through voting.  Hmm.  I wonder how one could test that hypothesis (academic geekness showing here, ignore that last line).