This is a first for a U.S. president or president-elect. Obama's address will also be aired on the radio, as has been precedent. According to the newspaper, Obama's technology team will also add online Q&As and video interviews to Change.gov, the presidential transition team's official Web site.
Observers say these are the first steps of expanded online presence for the U.S. president, which Obama and his campaign has been cultivating since he announced his candidacy in Springfield, Ill., nearly two years ago. Some experts speculate that Obama could use the millions of supporters and contributors who signed up on MyBarackObama.com and other social media to mobilize grass-roots support for his legislative agenda when he's inaugurated Jan. 20, 2009.
The Obama campaign used YouTube throughout the presidential campaign to post video of Obama's stump speeches and campaign stops. When the Wall Street crisis struck, the campaign also released a short documentary on YouTube about Republican candidate John McCain's past associations with disgraced savings-and-loan owner Charles Keating.
