The election demonstrated the power of Web 2.0 and social media to change a country. How many presidents -- oh heck, how many people - could claim over 3 million Facebook friends?
The Atlantic wrote earlier this year that in February the Obama campaign "raised a record-setting $55 million—$45 million of it over the Internet—without the candidate himself hosting a single fund-raiser." That's some ROI.
For those of you working in organizations who have struggled to get a new home page up in less than six months, you've got to admire the transition website. It was up 24 hours after the election.
Without missing a beat, the deep, personal relationship people had with their candidate can continue with their President. Even those who didn't vote for him can feel like they have access to the new chief executive. How many of us can say the same of our relationship with the executive team inside the companies we work in?
I heard that one of ways the site will be used is for 24-hour online "town hall" meetings to hear public comments on issues directly from the public. This gives us an unprecedented opportunity to be heard on issues we care about. It also carries greater personal responsibility to learn enough to have an informed opinion that can be taken seriously.
The leader sets the tone for the rest of the organization. If you want to set a tone of transparency and genuine interest in hearing what your employees, customers and others have to say, follow the lead set by www.change.gov.
You may be surprised at the level of excitement and support you can create, how much faster people get on board with what you're trying to acccomplish. People will rise to the occasion once they know your interest is real - and that their "vote" can make a difference.
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