White House adds Facebook Messenger as a new way to contact President Obama

EDGARTOWN, Mass. -- People hoping to send a note to President Barack Obama can now contact the White House using Facebook Messenger, just as they would communicate with their friends.

The White House says Obama reads 10 letters every night and that they help keep him in touch with what's happening around the country.

White House chief digital officer Jason Goldman says expanding the president's reading material is meant to create opportunities for people to engage with their government in new and accessible ways.

Goldman says face-to-face time with the president may be more difficult than it was much earlier in the nation's history, but technology now makes it possible for anyone with an internet connection to send a message to the president and the administration.