President Obama got off to a strong start by harnessing the federal government his way. He issued new orders last week to improve the federal government's openness and transparency.

One memo during his first week in office instructed agencies and departments to "adopt a presumption in favor" of Freedom of Information Act requests, while the second memo orders the director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue recommendations on making the federal government more transparent. 

"The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears," Obama said in the FOIA memo, adding later that "In responding to requests under the FOIA, executive branch agencies (agencies) should act promptly and in a spirit of cooperation, recognizing that such agencies are servants of the public." 

It's pretty clear that opening up the government and letting the sun shine in is a priority for the 44^th president, as is his drive to use technology to connect government and people. His memo on government transparency states that the Obama Administration "will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government." The order directs the yet-to-be-named chief technology officer to work with the OMB director to develop an "Open Government Directive" in the next four months. 

This takes determination and the need to ratchet up the technology that already exists in the government, as well as bring new tools to the forefront to make good on this promise. We're hopeful that change is in the air, and the new administration will follow up on its pledge for transparency without losing steam. - Judi