During the 2008 presidential election, the Obama team revolutionized the use of the Internet with a look and feel that brought millions in funds and unique visits.

Now the new administration wants to integrate those lessons learned into the governing process. In fact, as President Obama took the oath of office, his staff were diligently launching a new Web 2.0 savvy WhiteHouse.gov, but not with the same functionality of their campaign Web site.

Why? Because there are rules and regulations that need to be observed inside the government firewall, especially having to do with privacy and security.

Currently, the administration plans to give the public an online means to track how tax dollars are being spent in the economic stimulus plan through another site, Recovery.gov. But not just yet. Go there today and you'll get the following message:

Welcome to the government!

Other agencies within the administration have been more successful at navigating the federal information technology landscape, but they've also been at it longer. The Library of Congress, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Social Security Administration, Transportation Security Administration, and NASA have paid careful attention to what their users wanted to see and do online.

While technology changes rapidly, striving to meet the needs of the public will always be the foundation for any great government Web site.

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