Obama signs on with Facebook, Twitter and MySpace

by Stevie Smith - May 4 2009, 16:00

Whether an attempt to widen the scope of its influence through the digital medium or simply ‘get down wiv da kids’ (or both), the Obama administration has this week expanded the president’s penchant for technology by signing up with not one, not two, but three prominent online social communities.

According to an explanatory post on the official White House blog, the government’s sudden willingness to embrace social networking via accounts with Facebook, Twitter and MySpace is a prime example of what it likes to call “Whitehouse 2.0.”

“Technology has profoundly impacted how – and where – we all consume information and communicate with one another,” explained the official White House announcement.

“There’s a lot of talk about right now. From an economic crisis to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the President and his Administration have a full plate – not the least of which is making sure the public stays up-to-date and involved in our efforts.”

And it certainly seems as though exercising a proactive participation in the world of social networks is proving a good decision for President Obama, with more than 5,000 friends attached to the MySpace page, over 10,000 following the Twitter feed, and around 40,000 registered via Facebook soon after the accounts went live.

“Many business have innovative ways of using technology to save money, and many experts have new ideas to make government work more efficiently,” commented Obama in his most recent weekly address, prior to the network announcement. “Government can – and must – learn from them.”

Also holding accounts with photo-sharing service Flickr, Apple’s iTunes Store, social video network Vimeo and clip haven YouTube, Obama has said his administration will soon host a forum on reforming government for the 21st century, “so that we’re also guided by voices that come from outside of Washington.”

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