In keeping with the theme that swept President Obama into the Oval Office, change has come to the official White House Web site.

Almost at the instant Obama was sworn in, http://www.whitehouse.gov relaunched with a redesign to signal a new era in government. Gone was the staid site of the Bush White House, replaced by a dynamic new site reflective of his tech-savvy successor.

The new design includes more interactive features, a prominent photo gallery displayed across the top of the site, the ability to get e-mail updates, and a White House blog. The site’s “briefing room” also includes places for a weekly video address, slide shows, proclamations, and executive orders as well as news about nominations and appointments.

Obama was hailed throughout his campaign and transition as a politician who makes clever use of technology to communicate his message. His campaign leveraged social-networking sites, and even the most casual texter could sympathize with his resistance to giving up his BlackBerry.

David Parry, assistant professor of emerging media at the University of Texas at Dallas, said the new site continues the theme of Obama’s awareness of the importance of Web 2.0, which empowers users to share online content.

These are excerpts taken from this cnn.com article, January 20, 2009.