Obama New Media Team off to a Great Start

Jose Antonio Vargas published a really good piece on the White House new media team.

In TechPresident.com, Andrew Rasiej offers some additional perspective:

Having served as an informal advisor to the technology and innovation and government reform group during the transition, I saw first-hand how difficult it is to quickly convert all of the federal government's communications to the 21st century. Although there are challenges, the people working on it are some of the most qualified and dedicated people Obama could have chosen.

Many of us who follow the convergence of the Internet and government view what Obama's new media team is starting to do as a great first step and a sign that the Obama administration will move the federal government onto a parallel track with the rest of the world's use of technology and make our democracy more participatory. I am highly impressed by the team's efforts so far.

I've also observed what's going on, and I feel Andrew has it right here. The previous administration told us they weren't interested in feedback from Americans, and followed through. The Obama team is starting from nothing, and building a team which listens to people and will act. WhiteHouse.gov and Recovery.gov are great starts, unlike anything we've seen before

Also, the genuine empowerment of the Federal Web Managers Council has unleashed a lot of people committed to better serving the public.

I feel we must have high expectations of the White House team, but also realize that they've just started.