WHAT sort of person would you like to see running America for the next four years? A website designed to look like the presidential candidates鈥� sites challenges the public around the world to create the ideal candidate from scratch.
WikiCandidate () uses collaborative wiki software to give anyone who cares to join in free rein over its content. As with Wikipedia, an entry from one user can be deleted by another. Users can change the make-believe candidate鈥檚 name, photo and political agenda, as well as their reaction to events in the news. The site鈥檚 creators hope that the profile of the candidate that eventually emerges will act as a wish list of the characteristics Americans most want to see in their president.
鈥淚f it were possible to create a presidential candidate from scratch, rather than having to choose from the people who have nominated themselves for the job, would we come up with someone unlike those we鈥檝e seen before?鈥� says project member of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
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The team is particularly interested in whether users will express an interest in issues that the candidates themselves are ignoring. If strong trends emerge, the site might persuade real politicians to change their agenda. It could make a 鈥減owerful contribution to the political debate鈥�, Gillespie says.
鈥淲ikiCandidate could be a powerful contribution to the political debate鈥�
The researchers are not pushing any particular questions, as the aim is to discover what really interests voters. But project leader Josh Braun says they are curious to discover the gender and race users attribute to the WikiCandidate, as these are two issues that have dominated the presidential debate.
The candidate鈥檚 biography is based on that of comedian Stephen Colbert, and since the site was launched just a few weeks ago its tone has been light-hearted. The researchers hope that as the presidential race hots up entries will become more serious.
, director of the New Political Communication unit at Royal Holloway, University of London, believes the site鈥檚 success will largely depend on how many users contribute. 鈥淚t鈥檚 potentially very useful, but you can never know how many people will use it,鈥� he says.
WikiCandidate adds to a growing body of online tools that are being used to engage the public in politics (快猫短视频, 9 March 2007, p 28).
