The greatest failure of technology is that it is often not used to its full potential.  And, as I tweeted a short while ago:

Every piece of political news that appears makes me a stronger believer of that statement.

A while ago a post entitled “Solve Some Real World Problems” popped up in Google Reader from Chris Brogan. It’s no surprise, really, that the politics of politics could easily be considered one of the problems technology could help to solve. Numerous startups have tried. None have really caught on, though (at least as far as I’m aware)… why?

The need for a new system

I’ve started to think about what it is I don’t enjoy about politics and how it is presented and discussed online.  There are actually several factors I feel are missing from the current dialogue when looking at a specific post from a commenter or forum user:

• Accountability. A majority of posts are written anonymously or under a pseudonym. Who is this person? Are they liberal or conservative? Where do they stand on issues?
• History. At the same time, it’s important to know what the person has said in the past. What has this person said in the past? What is the scope of his/her contributions to the discussion?
• Reference. Many posts cite speeches or past candidate views. Where can I read where the points within the post were originally raised?
• Freedom. Often comments are based solely on the fact that they involve their favorite candidate. Do you support a candidate but not agree with one of his or her views? (*gasp*)

The style of discussion is also important.  This also lends itself to many options:

• A free-form discussion forum
• A discussion forum based off of broad topics (a speech, an issue, etc.)
• A discussion forum based off of external news articles or URLs (digg-style)

I would probably argue for the third option in this case.

From all of this, I feel a successful forum for political discussion would need a few features:

• A login system with required registration (name, location, political affiliation, and supported candidate(s))
• Some sort of comment rating and user karma system
• A user post history
• A (very) easy way to cite external sources
• Invitation-only… at least to start

Does Digg or Reddit already cover these bases? Yes, to an extent. But I believe the political discussion is so unique that it needs its own specialized arena.

What do you think?

I would love to hear what you think about this. What do you believe is missing in the current online political discussion? How could it be changed into a more effective and productive conversation? Do you agree with what I’ve said… or what have I left out? Is there a site that already does this well?

If you’re a new reader to ANW, welcome. Don’t be afraid to comment! I’d also love to hear from people with all sorts of political affiliations: liberal, conservative, and anything in between. Thanks for participating.

As the major television news stations reported on the sudden death of one of modern times’ most respected journalists, similar coverage unfolded simultaneously online. The people participating in this new form of real-time reporting didn’t sit in anchor chairs in front of millions of viewers. Today’s online coverage was composed of 140-character messages from ordinary people in front of computers and mobile devices around the world.

Many users of Twitter found posts from their followers announcing the death of NBC political analyst Tim Russert this afternoon in their Twitterstreams. As the news spread, the Twitter crowd mentioned some of their memories of election nights, whiteboards, and episodes of “Meet the Press”. People from all over the globe put aside their political differences and remembered their favorite moments of a great reporter.

As the tweets came flowing in, a new type of memorial formed at conversational tracking sites like Summize. A search for “russert” revealed a broad compilation of announcements, emotions, and well wishes. A real-time anthology of reactions evolved as more Twitter users learned of Russert’s passing.

Maps of 100 recent Twitter users who posted about Tim Russert today. Images created with the Summize, Twittervision, and Google Maps APIs.

Now, just hours after the first announcement of Russert’s death, hundreds (if not thousands) of people around the world have joined an impromptu community and contributed to this new form of spontaneous memorial. It’s a fitting tribute for a journalist by those who watched and respected his insight.