President-elect Barack Obama made savvy use of the Internet during his election campaign, and to guide his transition into power. It’s only fitting, then, that there should be so many ways to follow his inauguration online if you can’t make it to DC for the big day.

The New York Times will stream inauguration footage live on its home page, and the technology company Harris has promised to stream 3-D virtual views and live video of the inaugural parade route. The video site Hulu has collected lots more Obama-related material, including sketches from Saturday Night Live and, for some historical perspective, a collection of previous inaugural speeches.

For an international perspective, LiveStation will host footage from news organizations from around the world, including Al Jazeera English and the BBC (it works best if you download the LiveStation peer-to-peer application). New TeeVee has compiled a more comprehensive list of news organizations and websites that will have inaugural footage online.

CNN Live and Facebook are joining forces to make watching the inauguration online a social event with an app that lets you share and discuss the event live with friends.

There is, of course, also a Facebook group dedicated to the day, and there are plenty of options for following the happenings on Twitter. Just follow the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the U.S. Government, the District of Columbia, and a variety of inauguration-related channels, including Inauguration DC. And for general buzz about the day, simply search for “inauguration.” Images of the buildup to the inauguration ceremony can already be found on the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s dedicated Flickr page.

Meanwhile, interactive graphics created by the New York Times show the route that the Inauguration Parade will take and a look back at the language used in every presidential inaugural address since 1789. USA Today offers more interactive content, including video reports and contributions from citizen journalists.

To receive text messages and e-mail updates about DC events, sign up at the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s website. Though mainly intended for those attending the inauguration in person, the site promises to send updates about neighborhood parties and events as well.

This post at Read/Write Web is an excellent guide to celebrating Inauguration Day digitally and includes even more useful links.