This week, experts from across the political world came together to talk about open government – the idea that the web can help information flow through agencies to the media and everyday citizens who want to participate and have a say in making policy.

Last year at this time, everyone at the annual Personal Democracy Forum had one thing in mind – the 2008 presidential election. But did we miss the bigger picture? Was all the attention focused on the race causing policymakers to overlook looming problems in the markets? Would pushing the government to share more information online have made a difference in how we’re coping with the current economic crisis?

Recent projects inside the administration are making a start at helping people understand the dimensions of the economic recovery. The new White House IT Dashboard allows you to follow the impact of investments being made by various government agencies like the Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security.

But reports like this Capitol News Connection report about the large donations that finance executives have given to lawmakers highlight the closed-door status that special interests – and the finance industry in particular – continue to enjoy.

The public’s role in public media is also being leveraged in creative ways. Perhaps one of the best examples occurred last week when NPR asked their website visitors and Twitter followers to identify the lobbyists in the photo below, from a Senate hearing on health care.

The result? A post on NPR’s Dollar Politics blog and a clearer sense of who’s paying attention in Washington.