If you followed the presidential campaign at all you know that president-elect Barack Obama's real running mate was not Joe Biden but rather the Internet. Moreover, Obama is promising nothing less than a virtual open door into the previously opaque and impenetrable workings of Washington.
It's a grand vision. ... Good luck.
One aspect of the plan that I find most interesting is Obama's vow to open up communications channels between taxpayers and government agencies; for example, his cabinet secretaries would be required to hold regular online sessions where they would take questions from the masses.
Anyone who has ever attempted online interaction with even a relatively select audience -- take, for example, Network World's -- will appreciate the challenge of making that interaction meaningful and civil. In other words, making the openness meaningful while also keeping control of the cranks promises to be an enormous challenge.
Boston Globe technology writer Hiawatha Bray weighs in this morning with his take on the Obama tech team's ambitions. One line in the story jumped out at me:
Judging by the campaign's position paper on technology policy - calls and e-mails to the Obama transition team were not returned - the president-elect believes Internet technology should be as thoroughly integrated into federal agencies as it was in his campaign, where the Web was used to communicate, raise money, and get out the vote in a way that was unprecedented in U.S. politics.
Calls and e-mails were not returned.
Welcome regulars and passersby. Here are a few more recent Buzzblog items. And, if you'd like to receive Buzzblog via e-mail newsletter, here's where to sign up.
YouTube takes a page from xkcd.
Verizon plays fast and loose with the wrong 1,200 e-mail addresses.
Torvalds talks about his brand new blog.
Airport "X-ray art" isn't likely to amuse TSA screeners.
Almost half of Google's products -- including 4-year-old Gmail -- remain in beta. Why?
Doing the Laptop Drive of Shame.
Bank of America to support Firefox, finally.
This Year's 25 Geekiest 25th Anniversaries.
Top 10 Buzzblog posts for '07: Verizon's there, of course, along with Gates, Wikipedia and the guy who lost a girlfriend to Blackberry's blackout.
When not blogging, I am a Network World news editor and write the 'Net Buzz column.
The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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Washing DC
My son used to work in DC. When I'd ask him how things were going he always said "Murky, and the deeper you go the muddier it gets." I'm not sure the internet will make it any clearer.
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