Surrender your BlackBerry

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All eyes are on our new President Elect as he makes his cabinet choices, plans for economic relief and helps move the family to Pennsylvania Avenue… a busy schedule that he may have to do without one of the addictions so many busy professionals have come to rely on. That’s right, Mr. Obama please surrender your BlackBerry.

Articles focused on this surrender have appeared in New York Times and MSN bringing the question of email security as well as the Presidential Records Act (which places all his correspondence in the official record and available for public reviewing) as the reasons for the surrender.

Like many I know, Obama has opted to electronic copies versus written notes. According to aides, his memorandums and briefing books were seldom printed instead they were sent to his BlackBerry for review. Obama would often make edits/ suggestions electronically.

The question of whether or not he will be the first emailing president still remains – even in a read-only fashion. His predecessor, President Bush opted to go email-silent sending all contacts notice before taking the oath that his email address would no longer be active.

Despite the surrender of his PDA, the president elect is getting new mediums for outreach, including a weekly Democratic radio address which is also being archived on YouTube.