From the way he ran his campaign to the way he is setting up his office, President-elect Obama is the first to use the Internet as an integral part of both his communications and operations strategy. We talk to clients frequently about how digital media isn’t just about marketing and communications, but rather impacts every area of an organization including HR, operations, sales, etc., and Obama is a case study in proving this to be true. Another truth about digital communications though is that lessons learned offline can truly impact and instruct what works online as evidenced by Obama’s community organizing and fundraising via the Internet.

So, how is Obama setting up his new administration? The NY Times reported today on the job application process and detailed how it is the most comprehensive questionairre ever put forward, covering grown children, ten years of details, and requesting information such as Internet aliases and Facebook links. I’ve used social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn in recruiting for quite a while now, but not from a content audit perspective, but rather to ensure people I was interviewing for digital strategy jobs walked the walk. I would not want to be judged for appropriateness for a job based on my Facebook page or Twitter stream, although I’d think that my LinkedIn profile or this corporate blog I write would be fair game. I guess the question in my mind is around the boundaries between free time and your professional presence and whether or not they are blurring beyond the point of any demarcation. Either way, I’m glad I’m not applying for a job in the White House.

That said, the US federal government has been more aggressive about the use of technology in the past several years, using digital media to connect with stakeholders, educate the public, and create experiences around important topics. Mashable wrote about NASA’s Colab program that includes a blog, twitter stream and second life presence, the Army has been aggressive in using digital for recruiting, and even our work for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has gotten some buzz due to use of YouTube, digital unveilings, and blog outreach.

Given President-elect Obama’s campaign, I was curious to see how he’d leverage digital media in his transitions, and how he’d deliver the change he promised during stump speeches. Sure enough, he is President 2.0, having already launched Change.gov, complete with a blog, a dynamic newsroom, and a request for all Americans to share their stories. I’m excited to see how he evolves the White House, making our president more assessible and our voices louder as President-elect Obama moves into office, and look forward to a wave of new innovations in social media and in government as digital media has a more significant role in shaping our future than ever before. Perhaps there is an opportunity for consumer-generated government!