Changes you can embed

Just one day after sweeping the November 4 election, President-Elect Barack Obama's team launched a website aimed at making government more "open."

Features on Change.gov include a blog, biographies on Obama and VP-Elect Joe Biden, details about executive priorities and the upcoming agenda. Areas under construction include "America Serves," a section about volunteer programs, and a page that invites users to tell their story about the election via email. Yet another asks users to "share hopes" about the future government and relate a "vision" for the country.

Finally, the Presidential Transition Project strives to make the transition from Bush's administration to Obama's completely transparent. Key appointments (i.e, Cabinet members, national security and federal law enforcement officials, other agency heads) will be published on the site.

It'll be interesting to see how the site's editors plan to balance openness with moderation, writes David Griner on The Social Path with tongue lightly in cheek.

Meanwhile, Republicans — which failed to use social media to their advantage this campaign cycle — aren't standing still. One group launched RebuildTheParty.com, which affirms a party-wide commitment to use social media and other online tools to "win the technology war" with the Democrats over the next four years.

From the home page:

2008 made one thing clear: if allowed to go unchecked, the Democrats' structural advantages, including their use of the Internet, their more than 2-to-1 advantage with young voters, their discovery of a better grassroots model — will be as big a threat to the future of the GOP as the toxic political environment we have faced the last few years.

Like Change.gov, RebuildtheParty.com enables users to submit ideas and air tactical thoughts. Ideas so far include reaching out to Ron Paul supporters, making room for libertarians, and stepping away from the religious right.