Old vs new Whitehouse.gov web page. Click for larger photo.

And what a difference a web page can make.

While it appears that the Obama transition team ran into a few technological snags as they encountered what to them is outdated technology (ie. Apple vs. old Windows) and government beurocracy which hasn’t yet adopted to the world of social media, it appears that the White House web page is embracing the fundamentals of social media.

A blog post on The Breifing Room: The Blog states that the new website will be based on Communication, Transparency and Participation. That pretty much covers the building blocks of all social media.

There is no question this administration is wired into the world of Web 2.0. The Obama campaign utlized Facebook, Twitter and other social media applications in a way that many businesses would envy. By now, you’ve probably also heard how the new president was determined to keep his Blackberry and they also plan on using Youtube to present what used to be known as the Fireside Chat. It appears that the Obama administration has recognized the power of social media and plans to use it to its fullest.

And yet while an office which needs to “control” the message (if for no other reason than security) more then almost anyone can embrace the world of social media, I believe it is safe to say that the majority of businesses and business executives are still cautious, don’t understand or are even afraid of the world which is about to pass them by.

In a meeting yesterday with a colleague whom I met on Twitter, we both agreed that as much as 90 percent of the population still haven’t even tested the waters of a forum, blog or social networking site. It is doubtful that I will be able to make the same comment this time next year.

So for now, I’ll leave you with a great resource of case studies I came across this morning. The following link is by Jennifer Van Grove on Mashable.com. In it she lists 40 companies which are successfully using Twitter provides and breif analysis as to what they are doing right. It’s a great resource for both the beginner and advanced user alike.

Update: Want to see the impact of the new president and inauguration day on social media? Check these numbers: Twitter had more than 150,000 tweets containing the word “Obama” on Tuesday, YouTube had more than 300,000 videos with the tag “Obama” uploaded this week, and more than 80,000 “inauguration” photos were uploaded to Flickr.

Jim Lodico is a freelance commercial copywriter and public relations/social media consultant. If you’d like help with your social media campaign or communications project, please contact him at jalodico@bizwritings.com.