White House opens doors at Internet hot spots

May 1, 2009

The White House on Friday opened doors at online hot spots MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Content from US President Barack Obama's website WhiteHouse.gov is being fed in real time to White House profile pages at MySpace, Facebook and Twitter and members of those communities can sign up as friends or followers.

"Technology has profoundly impacted how -- and where -- we all consume information and communicate with one another," the White House said in a blog posting at WhiteHouse.gov titled "WhiteHouse 2.0."

"WhiteHouse.gov is an important part of the Administration's effort to use the Internet to reach the public quickly and effectively -- but it isn't the only place."

The blog posting referred to an Obama speech from a week earlier in which the president said the government needs to be more creative and transparent, and that he would "reach beyond the halls of government."

"Beginning today, users can connect directly with the Obama administration on a daily basis to stay informed and educated about the priorities and activities of the United States government," MySpace said.

"The community also provides users the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns directly to the White House by leaving comments and participating in discussion forums," the social network said in a statement.

Crowned the first "Internet president," Obama also has photos, videos and information available online at Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, and iTunes.

(c) 2009 AFP