Branching way out from operating systems and video games, Microsoft is targeting politicians and government officials with its new CampaignReady suite and TownHall software.

“Microsoft Launches Social Media Platform for Politicians” discusses the TownHall interface, which supports Facebook Connect, and allows users to answer poll questions, ask questions, and earn badges. Much like a crowdsourcing platform, topics with a lot of traction bubble to the top, while still leaving room for new ideas and comments from other users. Within the community are search functions for discussions and report generators, as well. Microsoft’s demo site is certainly flashy enough, and one can imagine a solid GUI for creating topics and questions on the backend. This could be a big deal for Microsoft, allowing them to firmly plant their feet in the social media sphere. Already, NASA is using the TownHall software for their Be A Martian program, an interactive website on the exploration of Mars.

The SSN Take: As the idea of crowdsourcing gains momentum, social platforms like this could gain ground.

Samuel Hartman, April 25, 2010

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