[new tags added 15 July] We’ve known since Barack Obama was elected president that new technology was going to be part of the deal, but even so, it’s surprising to get a press release from the US government saying Obama would like to hear from citizens around the world about his trip to Ghana and his Africa speech. And they certainly have replied! It makes for pretty interesting reading, and I get the feeling that he might even take these remarks into account because the great thing all of this does is make you aware there’s a real human being in the Oval Office.

The technology is not the star here, though: Obama’s administration puts to shame most corporations and certainly other governments, when it comes to using the technology intelligently and effectively. This has been coming through clearly to those of us in Geneva who’ve watched the transformation in recent months of the web site, Facebook and Twitter activities of the US Mission, which stands out for its good use of new technology. As a journalist, I’d have to say they have made my job easier, and other groups looking to push their message would do well to study their example.

The comments, the world map with SMS comments just sent in (my personal favourite), Twitter: search for #obamaghana