Regards less of which side of the fence you were on, it was an amazing campaign season, and the country has seen the first glimpses of the true power of the internet and social networking. My fiance’ attended letter writing campaigns with people she didn’t know by organizing through a face book like app from the candidates page, and she made secure micro-donation via the web and text message made popular by Howard Dean. This was the infrastructure that propelled Obama to “President Obama”
Then of course, there is the obvious step forward for our nation in electing – decisively – our first African American president. The Washington Post headline reads “Change Has Come“. I think this can be read on so many level, I couldn’t possible cover them here, but, I think it is not only in reference to race, but to how technology will continue to shape our nation, streamline government, and hold those in power accountable though transparency and avenues of communication.
To that end, here are some sites and tools to help you get started with this.
Sunlight Foundation – The Sunlight Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) educational organization, supports, develops and deploys new Internet technologies to make information about Congress and the federal government more accessible to the American people. Through its projects and grant-making, Sunlight serves as a catalyst to create greater political transparency and to foster more openness and accountability in government.
Open Congress – OpenCongress brings together official government information with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind what’s happening in Congress.
Open Secrets – An organization that aims to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry and a more responsive government.
