Obama Web site a place to share ideas, seek jobs

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has a new Web site, www.change.gov, that gives people a chance to say what they think his priorities should be, track the transition to his new administration, tell their personal stories and apply for federal jobs.

The site — a down payment on Obama's pledge to create a more "transparent and connected government" — has lots of white spaces and promises of future features.

But it gives viewers more details about government's workings and more opportunities for input than the Bush administration's site, dominated by first dog Barney.

"It's a site in its infancy, but it's a nice start," said Alan Rosenblatt, an online-advocacy specialist at the Center for American Progress Action Fund in Washington.

A video of Obama's victory speech is the home page's dominant feature. Inside are a promised new blog and lots of Obama issue positions.

"He plainly wants to reach out to people directly, and this technology allows him to bypass the press and reach them," said Darrell West, director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, a center-left Washington think tank.