It's only been a few days and already the Obama team is answering the question that a lot of social change folks have been asking: "Are they going to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity to convert the millions of campaign supporters to nation supporters?" or in short "How are they going to use their massive list?" Change.gov looks to be the beginning of it and I'd say that it's a promising start. They're asking for ideas, stories, and job applicants. They've posted a blog and a list of transition team members. They've taken the first wee step towards engaging all of the people who are so excited about this president elect.
Now imagine that the Obama team was able to imbue each of these supporters' mobile phones with the power to participate. What if supporters could actually do work for the nation and for their community via their phone: report pot holes, translate documents, deliver groceries for an elderly person, review proposed legislation for errors, organize in the case of emergency. Almost every American has a phone - many with the capabilities that enable this kind of work to be done. If Obama's team asked not what the country could do for its citizens, but what its citizens could do for eachother via mobile phones, it could be transformational.
And this is exactly the kind of infrastructure that we're proposing with The Extraordinaries. So, Obama, if you're reading this: put The Extraordinaries to work for the country.
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