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Obama to Use Internet More Than Any Other President

by Kaiser Hwang on November 13, 2008 at 11:47 AM


This was a seminal election year, wasn't it? In a time of economic downturn, war, natural disasters, and, uh, 'Gears of War,' a little change was needed -- both in the world, and in the way one presidential candidate got his message out to a younger, more tech-savvy crowd. Yes, Barack Obama did the unthinkable and set up a consistent base of communication with a generation of people that typically see an election as weeks of boring news. His secret weapon? The Internet.

Sure, Obama had a great Web site that featured, among other things, limited edition art and clothing designed by the hippest of today's celebrities. Sure, he even exchanged emails with Scarlett Johansson. But he also has a stellar iPhone app (with the UI done by a new member of the also stellar Iconfactory), a ridiculously popular Facebook group, and a revealing Flickr page maintained by his official photographer. And we're not even getting into all of the video he created and shared, nor the fact that sites like YouTube had gained tremendous traction as popular media during the election. (He's also in the hit Electronic Arts game, 'Mercenaries 2,' for what it's worth.)



Okay, now that Obama is President-elect, the show is over, right? Not in the slightest. With a database of roughly 10 million emails, Obama can directly contact his supporters to keep them updated on his plans, ask for support, and maybe even ask for some Obama Waffles. He's also set up a regularly-updated blog with a load of information, and encourages feedback directly from his readers.

The Washington Post and the New York Times both have similar, but distinctly different stories on Obama's Internet reign. They're both well worth reading, and provide some shocking details, such as the fact that Obama almost put up his e-mail database for collateral during a time of low cash flow. The times have definitely changed, and overall, we can't remember a time we felt so in touch with our government. [From: The Washington Post and The New York Times]

Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, elections, politics, web

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