When the World Wide Web became a reality back in the early 1990s, many people believed that computers would create a level playing field for technologists, media workers, artists, educators and entrepreneurs. Being able to see a Website created in China or Mexico from the comfort of our U.S. homes was supposed to revolutionize how we imagined ourselves and interacted with this brave new world.

Back in 2003, the Howard Dean primary campaign foreshadowed the explosion of citizen activism that we see today. Voters went to the polls in droves back in 2004 (113 million of them). This year alone (and remember, the primaries are not over) we have had more than 120 million people casting their votes during the primaries.

A lot of this activity is happening online. As of today, the Barack Obama campaign has broken the record for the most unique donors to any primary campaign: 1,003,996 individuals have donated an average of $109 each to the Senator of Illinois. And the general elections are still months away.

So it is no wonder that organizations like the Sunlight Foundation look at this with excitement. The foundation seeks to open up Congress to make it more accessible to citizens. Part of their mission is to look for ways to use the technologies to make the government more responsive 24/7.

With so many people rushing to participate in the primaries, many are wondering how these Web-powered primaries could be turned into a real people-powered political movement in the new administration.

In a post that points to an article written by new media analyst Mark Glasser, they suggest some practices that the next president could take on in order to become more accessible to his (or her) constituents.

They include:

• A regular blog or Twitter feed;
• Wikis on major policy initiatives;
• Live online chats or video Q&As;
• Transparent, online schedule;
• A listing of all campaign contributors displayed on a Google Map;
• Creation of an online community of advisers with expertise on critical subjects.

Do you have any other ideas on how the new President of the United States should be more accessible to citizens and more open to a people-powered government? Let us know in the comments section!