Obama's team often talked about creating a transparent, participatory government. Here are four ways you can interact with the president:
Give him your advice
The Obama team's Web site, change.gov, has several ways to share your views. At the Citizens Briefing Book, you can weigh in on an issue or see what other Americans have said and rank their opinions. The ideas with the highest rankings will be put in a "Citizen's Briefing Book" for Obama.
You can ask questions at the Open for Questions section. More than 76,000 questions have been asked and some have already been answered.
Peek behind the scenes
Check out the Obama team's photos at www.flickr.com/photos/changedotgov to see events like Obama's meet-and-greet with the Supreme Court and Malia and Sasha's first day of school.
But there's more
If you think those projects are something, you might like personaldemocracy.com and techpresident.com. The blogs will keep you up to date on how politicians and the government use technology. You'll see, for example, a running total of Obama's Facebook friends.
Let Obama give you some love for a change
Request an official greeting from the White House. Here's how:
You have to be a U.S. citizen.
You have to be 80 or older to get a birthday card, and he doesn't want to hear about your anniversary unless you've toughed it out for 50 years or more.
To get a congratulations for a baby's birth, the child must have been born during Obama's administration. You can also get a presidential congratulations for a wedding, Eagle Scout or Girl Scout Gold Awards, bar and bat mitzvahs or an equivalent occasion.
Write up the following:
- Name and home address of honoree(s)
- Form of address (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., etc.)
- Exact date of occasion (month, day, year)
- Age (birthdays) or years of marriage
- The requestor's name and phone number
- Mailing instructions if other than to honoree's address
- For a baby's birth, send the date of birth and full names and address of the parents
Send the request to:
The White House
Attn: Greetings Office
Washington, D.C. 20502-0039
Send your request at least six weeks in advance of the event date, except for births. Expect your greeting about 10 days before the event.
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