The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) is using MixedInk to enable citizens to draft collective recommendations for the open government directive!

From the blog on WhiteHouse.gov:

President Obama issued a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government in which he called for recommendations on making the government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative.

From the start, the White House Open Government Initiative has approached the crafting of these recommendations in an open fashion.

[snip]

Today, we ask you to work together to draft recommendations that translate good ideas and lofty principles into specific actions that can be taken to achieve open government. This Drafting Phase invites you to collaborate on creating recommendations for open government policy using a web-based wiki tool.

The collaborative drafting process is hosted by MixedInk here.

MixedInk has been used by a number of media companies, advocacy groups, and elected representatives to gather citizen input, but this project represents the biggest step we’ve taken yet towards fulfilling our mission.

When we set out on this journey, we were driven by a desire to empower regular citizens – we wanted to make it easy for people to exert their collective strength by speaking with a single voice, loud and clear. We sought to create a system that would enable people to express nuanced opinions about complex issues together. The approach had to be democratic and meritocratic, so that the collective voice would carry the weight of the individuals behind it. We believed groups possessed immense collective wisdom, but they lacked a way to synthesize their best and most eloquent ideas concisely.

In addressing these broad challenges, we developed a system through which policymakers can gather feedback democratically and transparently, without being overwhelmed by the task of processing it – by giving the community the responsibility for curating and judging the content it creates.

Mass citizen-to-government communication is an area with great promise. We’re inspired to see the Administration trailblazing through uncharted territory, and redefining policymaking in the process. It’s truly an honor to be part of this innovative initiative.

The final phase of the Open Government Initiative will last just one week, so be sure to add your $.02 while the project is underway. Your recommendations will inform the drafting of an “Open Government Directive” to Executive Branch agencies. If you’re new to MixedInk, check out our demo video first.

If you work at a government agency or hold elected office, we’d be happy to brainstorm potential applications and explore customization options. You can reach us at government [at] mixedink [dot] com.