CHICAGO — Macon Phillips understands the new media scene, one that combines politics and technology to talk directly to the people.

Phillips works for President Obama as the White House's director of new media.

Since he introduced the revamped WhiteHouse.gov Jan. 20, Phillips has spent more time managing the daily flow of news from the White House in a challenging economic environment than considering the big picture of how to build the administration's message.

But he's happy to provide more government transparency.

"We're serving as a connector between the policymakers and the citizens that put them in office," said Phillips, 30, who worked for Blue State Digital, a political consultancy that leverages new media tools. "There's a lot to learn. I don't have any experience in government other than being a taxpayer."

With social media tools sweeping the Internet, "a lot of the work we're doing hasn't been done before" for a president, he said.

Obama used the tools of modern communication masterfully to help win election to the White House.

There will be criticism of the White House's new media efforts "if the level of transparency they talk about isn't met," said Kelly Cutler, chief executive of Chicago's Marcel Media, a Web development agency.

Phillips' "job is a big part of who Obama is," Cutler offered. "What he did with social media during the campaign made us think we were getting a president in step with technology. I don't think that would have been the case with John Kerry or John McCain."

Phillips acknowledges that the White House site will draw critics. "We're not the only viewpoint," he said. "I don't anticipate anyone else being quiet now that we are here."

With social media, one of the challenges is allowing your critics to speak, even on the Web sites you control.

"The Internet has open standards," Phillips said. "We're thinking of ways that we can be part of the process."

Phillips joined the Obama campaign during the general election. "I was out in Grant Park the night Obama won the election," he said. He had celebratory beers later that night and went straight to the office at 8:30 the next morning to "turn on www.Change.gov."

That site was the forerunner of the rebuilt www.WhiteHouse.gov.

The old www.WhiteHouse.gov was "boring, not informative and static," Cutler said, calling the new version timely. "There's a Web 2.0 philosophy behind it. It's being used for interactivity and transparency, it's not just pushing information onto the Web."