How will Obama use new media?

Obama transition spokeswoman Jen Psaki promised "one of the most open and transparent press offices in White House history." "Americans now get information in a broad variety of ways, and so we are expanding the ways we reach them," Psaki said. In an early indication of the transition team's electronic savvy and drive to move beyond the traditional means of communication, President-elect Obama delivered electronic messages last week to a Global Climate Summit hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and to a special Olympic committee in Europe that is selecting the site for the 2016 summer games. Both messages resonated long and loud in the Internet's echo chamber. If Obama successfully exploits his use of new media, he could strengthen his political hand and make himself more the master of his own destiny, similar to the techniques Ronald Reagan used to build public support for his agenda in the 1980s. Reagan gained notoriety as the Great Communicator for using television to plead his case directly to the people, often circumventing Congress and the press.