Why I Like Recovery.gov, Recovery.org, and, More Broadly, the Internet

Post reporter Alec MacGillis is certainly right that Recovery.org is superior to Recovery.gov. But let me put it this way: If all we had was Recovery.gov, then dayenu.

It's easy to forget what a new development it is for government agencies -- or non-profits, or for-profits, or basement obsessives -- to create public web pages full of continually updated data that's presented in sortable, accessible, and even interactive forms. The fact that it's easy enough to do that multiple groups -- both governmental and non-governmental -- can actually compete to do it best borders on the astonishing. It's just a quantum leap from anything the public had access to a decade ago. Recovery.org has data because the Obama White House wants to be transparent. But it's only a genuine force for transparency because technology has made it possible to plug that data into a sophisticated online presentation.

(Graph source: Recovery.Gov.)