Obama Plan Starts at Change.gov

President-elect Barack Obama has already gotten started with putting his plan for change into effect with use of the new website change.gov. He is asking that Americans do their part in changing America.

On the change.gov homepage, a quote from President-elect Obama sits off to the right: "Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today." That quote sets the mood for the website's purpose.

The change.gov website apparently serves as an avenue for Americans to stay informed of what is going on throughout transition from President-elect to President. It features a countdown of days until Barack's inauguration. Underneath the website's change.gov title appear the words "Office of the President-elect," which seems to imply that the website is acting as a virtual office.

One thing I noticed right off the bat about the change.gov website is the fact that Barack Obama is asking for the input of Americans for everything on the agenda. Some of the agenda items listed on change.gov include healthcare, energy & environment, education, economy, disabilities, immigration, family, and much more.

On each agenda page of change.gov , Americans are asked to submit their ideas about the changes they'd like to see happen. The top of the idea submission template displays the words "Of the People, by the People." Right before the submission button, Americans are urged to "be part of the change you're looking for."

Already this is a different strategy than has been used in previous elections. Actually though, the concept itself has been in effect from the beginning of Barack Obama's campaign. At the original campaign website, www.barackobama.com, Americans were also urged to share their ideas on each of the issues in much the same way.