Will Obama use the Internet to change government?

[Commentary] When you think about it, one of the amazing things about the Obama campaign was how much control he ceded to his followers. Through his Web site, his supporters could create their own subgroups who were "for" Obama, with no censoring of names or topics. They could design their own campaign material, and customize the famous Obama "O" logo. It demonstrated an extraordinary amount of trust and confidence. But it also transformed people from supporters into participants. People were actively thinking about why they supported Obama and how to express that. And my hunch is that gave them a feeling of having a much greater stake in the campaign, which in turn drove the historic turnout rates. For Obama, it's critical that he continue to recognize and practice this kind of leadership, where his strength is measured by his comfort in relinquishing some control and continuing to find ways to transform citizens into participants. Instilling this sort of open-source culture into the U.S. government will be an extraordinary task. But for Obama, continuing to use the tools offered by the Internet to engage the public offers the best way for him to deliver the kind of change that will be remembered for decades to come.