Obama and new media

President Obama recognizes that there are now faster ways to reach the public today. For updates on the H1N1 flu outbreak, Obama is utilizing new media Web and social networking tools like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter via the username WhiteHouse.

White House officials are also looking into expanding to Flickr.com, Vimeo.com, YouTube.com and will also offer videos and podcasts through iTunes.

Obama and his staff hope that by using new media outlets, they will be able to reach the public more immediately and effectively. I think it is fantastic that our government is recognizing new ways that our society is consuming news.

Personally, I own the iPhone and am more likely to check the Associated Press wire service application, Facebook and Twitter right from my phone than I am to watch a newscast from my living room sofa. I can get my daily dose of news and updates on the go which has been a great convenience. I've found that with this capability and no limitation on when I am able to view the news, I've been more knowledgeable when it comes to news in general.