As Barack Obama's transition site, Change.gov, officially became WhiteHouse.gov yesterday after his inauguration, the White House announced that they will have a Director of New Media, Macon Phillips.

The website is designed for the new "administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world." Phillips calls the website "just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement," and it will focus on three areas: communication, transparency and participation.

Not only did coverage of the inauguration highlight the increasing importance of new media, but now Obama himself has, with the appointment of a director of new media, demonstrated its importance and prevalence in communication today.

Source: WhiteHouse.gov