Digg-like tool lets Change.gov visitors pick policy questions

Visitors to Change.gov can choose which questions they think are most important with the "Open for Questions" tool.

(Credit: Change.gov)

President-elect Barack Obama's transition team on Wednesday launched a tool on its transition site Change.gov that utilizes the collaborative nature of Web 2.0 tools to bring to attention issues that matter to voters.

Its "Open for Questions" tool allows visitors to submit a question for the transition team and, much like Digg, allows users to vote for other people's questions they find important or vote against questions they don't like. The most popular questions will be regularly answered by the Obama team.

As of Wednesday evening, 159,890 had voted on 1,986 questions from 3,255 people. The most popular question was, "What will you do to establish transparency and safeguards against waste with the rest of the Wall Street bailout money?" The second most popular question was, "What will you do as President to restore the Constitutional protections that have been subverted by the Bush Administration and how will you ensure that our system of checks and balances is renewed?"

Obama's advisers had previously indicated that the president-elect would use such a collaborative approach to come up with solutions for problems like regulating the privacy terms for electronic health records.

"That's the kind of thing that shouldn't be decided by one person in the new administration," Obama adviser Reed Hundt said in October.

[kieranmullen]

Problem with Digg and Reddit systems that they can easily be gamed. <br /> <br />KieranMullen <br />http://360oregon.com

[mbenedict]

Not to mention censored, see: <br /><br />http://qwix.com/37<br /><br />"Blagojevich questions censored on Transition site"

[AppleSuxLeo]

I only "DIGG" when I`m going after boogers.

[Penguinisto]

Count me in among those who don't see this as useful. Clone accounts, astroturfers, proxies, 'bots... <br /><br />And yeah, the ease by which the site admins can create instant 'memory holes' if they catch it in time (or if they tie it to keywords) - the Orwell variety, not the code-monkey ones.<br /><br />The one and only system I've seen that has worked is Slashdot, and even there it's not perfect. It does however work, mostly due to diligence and (mostly) honesty on the part of its membership.<br /><br />/P

[Seaspray0]

Ok, it's not perfect and there are several ways it could be skewed... but I like the idea that they are looking for feedback from the public.

[jeolmeun]

This is pretty much that debate questions Google App Engine app from the elections.

[daveandersen]

The danger is the /perception/ of democracy within a system that has the inherent ability to hide questions that might not present the Administration in the best light. Right now, there are many dozens of questions that mention Blagojevich, yet most of them are already REMOVED:<br /><br />"This submission was removed because people believe it is inappropriate."<br /><br />This is either Admin-generated censorship, or supporter-generated censorship. <br /><br />Either way, it's censorship.

[ddesy]

Questions about Blagojevich really have no bearing on the Presidential transition itself. Because of this, people who realize this will either quickly mark the question as unimportant or mark it as inappropriate. There is nothing undemocratic about that!

[daveandersen]

The section of the site in question is called "Open Government. Open for Questions." What part of that is hard to comprehend? If an incoming President is surrounded by corruption on his way into office, isn't that important?<br /><br />What do I mean?<br />- Rezko, who helped Obama buy his home, is now in jail on government corruption charges<br />- Who was the real estate agent on the purchase of Obama's home? Blagojevich's wife, Patti<br />- Rezko was a major contributor to Blagojevich's campaigns<br />- Rezko was a major contributor to Obama's campaigns<br />- Obama campaigned for Blagojevich<br />- Blagojevich campaigned for Obama<br /><br />So Obama supporters (or the site admins) flag those questions as inappropriate. The only way to see that as "nothing undemocratic" is by viewing it through the rose-colored prism of infatuation.

[ddesy]

None of this have anything to do with anything but pure spin. Come on, a real estate agent matters? Someone who helped Obama to but his home? Pointless at best regardless of contributions given. Anyone can give contributions and campaign for someone. <br /><br />Please stop the spin. It is nothing more than people who are extremely upset that Obama won who feel the need to keep this up. <br /><br />There is nothing "undemocratic" about people deciding what they do or do not want to ask. If people vote against a question, that is a democratic choice not to ask it. What you ask is that the minority be treated as if they are the majority.

[Dalkorian]

Frankly, after the last 8 years of TREASON and CORRUPTION in the White House, it's a little ingenious of you to try to smear our President-elect before he's even sworn in. Why don't you mention the fact that he's not an American and therefore not eligible for office? Oh yeah, that's been proven a LIE. I know, whine that he's a muslim - oh yeah, another proven LIE. He hates America, he won't salute the flag, he won't wear those stupid little yellow ribbon pins, he's a terrorist - all proven lies.<br /><br />It's really pathetic what you retardicans have been reduced to lately. Why don't you just go to your rooms and cry yourself to sleep, you scared little infantile girls. Let the REAL MEN fix the messes you caused with your STUPIDITY and GREED. You have been grounded from government for the next couple of years at least and very likely for much longer. Instead of screaming and making noise like an infant who didn't get her way, why don't you think about why you deserve to be so hated. You *DO* deserve it.

[daveandersen]

A government official (a state senator) receives at least $300,000 in personal gains from a now-convicted felon. Later, the same future felon sells a small portion of his land to the state senator, rendering the felon's entire remaining lot (which he paid $625K for) unbuildable, and thus, unsellable. In essence, that transaction donated the entire parcel to the state senator as a "back yard." That's nearly a million dollars in gains to the Obamas. From a person well known at the time to be engaged in governmental corruption.<br /><br />That felon went on to do a LOT of business with the state, making huge amounts of money and leaving the state's poor population--the intended beneficiaries--with very little value.<br /><br />This is, as they say in Chicago, the definition of "pay for play."<br /><br />Which you dismiss it as spin.<br /><br />I guess we'll have to see what U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald turns up during his investigation. With Rezko's sentencing hearing due in January, and both the Governor and his Chief of Staff arrested, there's no telling what evidence might be produced.<br /><br />But it ain't sour grapes: this is a serious and looming problem for the President Elect.