Obama utilizes internet to connect with public at Whitehouse.gov

"Open for Questions" online feature allows users to post questions for President Obama to answer during online town hall.

In yet another effort to increase transparency within the White House, the Obama Administration has created an online feature that allows American citizens to post questions on the White House’s website, which will be read and answered by President Barack Obama Thursday morning during an online town hall.

The feature called “Open for Questions” is a new experiment that the Obama Administration is conducting in order to reach out to the American people.

Although the streamed event will focus on the economy, questions posed on the site range from green energy, to the War on Drugs and have been raised by ordinary people.

These questions will be voted on to determine which ones will be answered by the President.

The White House’s website states that the event, a first of its kind, “will give Americans from around the country a direct line to the Administration.”

Obama has recently visited cities around the country for traditional town hall meetings, but as Obama states, this town hall will vary slightly.

“We are going to try something a little different, we are going to take advantage of the internet to bring all of you to the White House to talk about the economy,” said Obama in a video message on the website.

Potential questioners submitted and voted on a question at this address. The website encourages participants to include a brief 30 second video of their question, although it is not required.

Questions have been organized into 11 different categories with nearly 55,000 questions being submitted, receiving 2 million votes so far.

The town hall is currently being held as of this writing

Much like his campaign, Obama is once again utilizing the internet in order to connect with the American People. Depending on the success of the experiment, it may be a useful tool for the Obama Administration to gain insight on the concerns of ordinary Americans.

“This is an experiment, but it’s also an exciting opportunity for me to look at a computer and get a snapshot of what Americans across the country care about. I’m looking forward to the results. We may not always agree on everything, but this way I can get a sense of your concerns and give you some straight answers,” said President Obama,