Mr. Phillips: President Obama ran for office committed to changing the way
Washington works, calling for an unprecedented level of openness
in government.
He began delivering on that change as soon as he took
office, signing Executive Orders and Memoranda that call for
openness, transparency, and engagement throughout government.
As one part of this commitment, your government is delivering
online content in new ways and in new venues as technology
impacts how and where people consume content.
Let me show you some examples.
First, there's WhiteHouse.gov.
It gives you a direct line to the administration.
We have a blog where you'll find the key content for our site,
a new way for Americans to stay on top of what the President and
the executive branch are doing to deliver change.
More and more the blog looks behind the scenes at how the
White House operates.
Every Saturday, the President addresses the public on an issue
of national importance.
Historically, these have been pushed out on the radio,
but we've started releasing them as web videos as well.
You can find them at WhiteHouse.gov or through our
official podcast that includes other videos.
About three months after inauguration,
the President conducted the first ever online town hall from
the White House.
Using a feature called "Open for Questions" people from across
the country submitted and voted on questions for the President
about the economy.
The President then answered a bunch of these top questions
during a nationally televised online town hall.
We're also live-streaming events on the web so you can watch
events as they happen at the White House.
One of our first big efforts was streaming all of the breakout
sessions for the White House health care summit --
opening up that process for everyone to see.
The White House is only one piece of the government's
growing online presence.
Innovative federal agencies are using New Media to open up
government and engage the public.
In its ongoing effort to meet citizens where they are,
the General Services Administration has launched the
US Government video channel at YouTube.com/USgovernment.
From this central hub, you can get to videos from more than 25
federal agencies.
You can easily discover things from all corners of the
government and go on to interact from there.
Explore the ocean's floor, travel to space,
find service opportunities, "take a seat" at the State
Department's international meetings,
learn how to apply for government benefits,
or find out about various government jobs.
You may have also heard of Recovery.gov,
the website that offers citizens the ability to track the
spending and impact of the Economic Recovery Act.
This is an important effort to open up and standardize data so
that the public can carefully analyze how tax dollars are
being spent.
But it's not just about connecting people with numbers
-- the web also allows us to connect people with people.
Take the Department of Defense's TroopTube, a video-sharing site
to help connect military service men and women and their families
and supporters.
The President called all Americans to service when he
recently signed a landmark public service bill.
And through Serve.gov, the Corporation for National and
Community Service is providing an easy way for the public to
find volunteer opportunities and chip in and improve their communities.
And the Government blogs!
More than 30 agencies are blogging so far and that number
keeps growing.
The Transportation Security Administration's "Evolution of
Security" blog facilitates an online conversation between TSA
security personnel and airline passengers.
Through a team of straight-talking and knowledgeable
bloggers and a very vocal public, TSA takes in the
valuable public input and solves potential service problems.
The government also shares photos.
Find amazing photos at the Library of Congress' photo
stream on Flickr.
At the Patent and Trademark Office, the Peer-to-Patent
project enables the public to submit information and
commentary relevant to hundreds of pending patent applications.
This organized public participation improves the
quality of issued patents.
In ongoing efforts to make government easy,
USA.gov offers online chat -- in addition to email and phone --
to answer all your questions about the government.
The FBI is among those agencies offering widgets to spread
important information, such as photos of missing persons and
the most wanted fugitives.
In terms of social media, one of your best bets is to join
thousands of others following USA.gov on Twitter,
for short and timely government messages, emergency updates,
and links to videos.
You can also follow the State Department's DipNote blog on Twitter.
A lot of people in government are also finding that existing
online communities present unique opportunities.
The National Park Service developed a Facebook application
to allow you to share stories and photos from trips to
National Parks.
The State Department uses Facebook to engage the public in
discussions surrounding worldwide meetings and
diplomatic events.
In addition to ongoing new media channels,
agencies are also finding ways to generate excitement and
engagement around specific events.
On Earth Day, the EPA launched Pick 5 for the Environment,
asking you to commit to 5 actions to protect the
environment and then share your stories, photos,
and videos on their website, EPA.gov.
There is so much potential for how government uses the web --
but it won't be realized unless you step up and participate.
So, join your government -- at their websites and blogs,
through videos and photos, in social networks,
through widgets, and podcasts, and much more.
