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ExpertNet: The Federal Government Wants Your Answers
Comment Period Extended to January 23, 2011
How do you craft public policy questions that get genuinely useful responses from citizens? What’s the best way to reach members of the public with the greatest expertise on a given topic? These are just some of the questions that the Government is seeking to answer as it develops ExpertNet (working title), a public-facing wiki platform.
ExpertNet is a collaborative effort between the White House Open Government Initiative and General Services Administration (GSA), with the support of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who are currently calling for ideas on how to most effectively obtain citizen input to inform the policymaking process. The wiki will consist of discussion forums and gives users the opportunity to edit the content. Due to the high quality of feedback received so far, the comment period has been extended to January 23.
“Submissions that have been helpful include those that offer suggestions or solutions to queries or offer a new way of thinking about an aspect of the platform. We are eager to hear about specific examples of tools that will achieve [the] goals outlined here,” noted Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Shelley Metzenbaum, Associate Director of OMB’s Office of Performance and Personnel Management.
Seeking Citizen Consultants
Share your ideas, opinions, and thoughts on the draft design for ExpertNet. Anyone can easily create an account, join any of the discussion forums, and edit the wiki to comment on:
- Any refinements or suggestions to improve the process described
- Any issues (legal, policy, technical) raised by the features described
- Information about any tools that perform the process
- Pointers to organizations (public or private) that have a similar platform or process in place
If you prefer not to leave feedback on the wiki, you can also email your suggestions to expertnet@ostp.gov.
Your participation is greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping to expand the public’s role in Government decision-making!
