What should obama's CTO do first?

I can’t answer your question, but I wanted to say “Welcome to the collective!”

Maintaining net neutrality.

Overturning FISA if there was ANY way I could claim that to lie in my domain.

And fixing the DMCA. As in making it disappear.

edited to add: Also, making another kickass Obama app for the cellphone that was about his transition team and events that would update into an Obama presidency app that kept us up to date with what he’s up to. I love my Obama app and I want to see more like it.

Welcom gregc!

i agree EmpressPixie. As usual :-)

@EmpressPixie :: Did you see change.gov yet?

Personally, my first priority would be to lay out a plan so departments within the government would have easier sharing of information. I don’t think individual departments have the ability to look at the whole picture when they are focused on their small portion. If information was shared, a lot of the bureaucracy we’re all used to whenever dealing with the government could be streamlined and I believe the extra costs of developing a system along those lines could be recouped from the ability to process things more efficiently and reduced fraud.

After that I’d try to make sure whatever services and information can be made available online are easily accessible.

Imagine you had a .gov account where you could go to file your taxes, or find out how your Senator voted, contact the local SBA, research how to get a passport and all the other interactions that just aren’t very centralized right now. It would make the federal government a lot more accessible and less daunting in my view.

It would be a huge undertaking but the individual parts aren’t anything that hasn’t been done before.

Other than that I’d just like someone who understands what they’re talking about to take a look at current or proposed legislation like those mentioned by EmpressPixie… if you refer to the internet as a “collection of tubes” you may not be qualified to decide what hundreds of millions can or can’t do online. There needs to be a resource for lawmakers to go to so they can actually be informed.

Right now some people say it’s illegal for US citizens to play poker online, some say it isn’t, some operators have pulled out of the US market and others have stayed and flourished. Meanwhile I can go down to the Quicky Mart and buy a scratch off ticket for $50… one lousy ticket. I don’t understand the difference other than one is purely luck and the other I have some say in the outcome and hopefully hours of enjoyment.

Lurve for the link johnpowell… interesting stuff…

Wow, brilliant idea, Funkdaddy. You mean to say that government doesn’t have to be inefficient and stupid? What?

Well… a new day has dawned. There are a lot of smart people who could create a streamlined, organized, efficient web presence. Why the hell not. Hey, we put a man on the moon, right? Inspiring.

@JP: I saw that yesterday (and sent the jobs link to a friend looking for a job). I’m SO EXCITED. And super happy that he’s maintaining a new website. I really think he’s going to be a lot more transparent in some ways than ever before.

somebody made sure to change this site:
http://www.palinaspresident.us/

Welcome aboard @gregc !

Lurve to @funkdaddy – I agree with his “Imagine you had a .gov account where you could go to file your taxes, or find out how your Senator voted, contact the local SBA, research how to get a passport and all the other interactions that just aren’t very centralized right now. It would make the federal government a lot more accessible and less daunting in my view.”

johnpowell THANKS new home page!

@firside pretty cool
.

I read a great article today on the power of Obama’s grassroots force. I thought I’d share it with those interested in this question… Obama will take his internet army to Washington.