The White House continued its social media push today by launching an official Google+ page.
"Welcome to the White House on Google+!" reads the first post. "Here you'll find news from the blog, behind-the-scenes photos and videos, plus chances to engage with administration officials. One feature we're really excited about are Hangouts. On our Google+ page, we'll host regular White House Hangouts with administration officials on topics ranging from the economy to technology."
The post said some Google+ users will be invited to participate in these Hangouts, along with policy experts. Those who don't participate will still be able to watch live on WhiteHouse.gov, the White House YouTube channel, or its Google+ site, of course.
To start, users have been asked to offer feedback on what they'd like from the White House Google+ profile. "What else would you like to see from the White House on Google+? Have a great idea for a White House Hangout or thoughts on the types of updates that are most interesting? Let us know."
This is not the Obama administration's first foray into social media, of course. President Obama has his own Google+ profile, Twitter account, Facebook page (with nearly 24 million likes), and Flickr photo stream.
Just last week, meanwhile, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Twitter, several months after the White House signed up for Foursquare and Obama started an Instagram account.
President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign has also been active on social media. Obama 2012 recently launched a Tumblr page.
The fact that the White House and President Obama are now on Google+ is a nod to the new social network's increasing relevance. Google on Thursday announced in its earnings call that the platform now has 90 million users, up from 40 million in October.