When President Obama first started is leadership as President of the United States, he required that his staff deliver him, at the most, ten letters per day. Since that day, President Obama reads at least ten letters (or 10 LADs) per day from the thousands that are sent to the White House. The President believes that this keeps in touch with the real world and what is going through the hearts and minds of the Citizens of this country.
Traditionally, the only way to get a message to the White House was through snail mail. In the 1800s, the White House started receiving phone calls. In the 1900s, the White House introduced submitting letters online. Now, in the new millennium, what cooler way to send a message to our Commander in Chief than through the use of social media?
Now, sending a personal note to the White House has gotten easier. For the first time in history, anyone can send a note to President Obama simply by messaging the White House on Facebook, the same way you message your friends. According the the White House website:
“The goal is “to meet people where they are. It’s why the President launched his own Twitter account and the First Lady is on Snapchat. It’s about creating opportunities for people to engage with their government in new and accessible ways, using the same technologies we already rely on in our daily lives. “
The tech part is pretty cool, but what is most important is that President Obama believes it is important to hear from YOU.
“To make sure that in all the hustle and bustle that’s taken place here, we don’t lose sight of why we’re here — which is a bunch of citizens all across the country, needing our help, seeking advice, more than occasionally being angry, wanting to be heard. And what’s interesting is not only do these letters help me to stay in touch with the people who sent me here, or the people who voted against me, but a lot of times they identify problems that might not have percolated up through the various agencies and bureaucracies. And more than once there have been occasions where these letters inspired action on real problems that are out there.”
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