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Gov. Schwarzenegger's Twitter Idea Sees 'High' Times

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Aug 26, 2009, By Matt Williams, Assistant Editor

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to convert the collective intelligence of Twitter users into real-life ideas that would help the revenue-starved state.

Schwarzenegger announced this week the launch of Myidea4ca.com, a Web site that indexes ideas for California's state government submitted via Twitter. The governor is asking people to "tweet" their ideas with the hashtag identifier #myidea4ca.

During a conversation Wednesday at Twitter's headquarters with company founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone, Schwarzenegger said Twitter has "tremendous power and insight." He said the idea came from a Twitter user that he should autograph some state-owned cars and bicycles for sale at the Great California Garage Sale on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29. The governor said the Twitter-generated ideas also could be used for issues like solving the state's water woes.

"Even in bodybuilding, I was always interested in what people want," Schwarzenegger said. The governor is a frequent tweeter. He has nearly 1 million Twitter followers.

Myidea4ca.com scoops up tweets tagged with #myidea4ca, and people can then give a thumbs up or thumbs down to each idea -- a function that's commonplace on social bookmarking Web sites like Digg and Delicious. Users also can submit comments about the ideas, which are searchable by keyword, Twitter username, category, most popular, most commented and most recent.

Early results suggest that the public's most popular idea is legalizing and taxing the sale of marijuana, a possibility Schwarzenegger himself floated earlier this year as state legislators struggled to close a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

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Comments

By Chad on Aug 27, 2009

Yeah, and instead of the hydrogen highway, you're now stuck on the methane highway.

By Kevin on Aug 27, 2009

Maybe the twitter page can have stuff that the public can vote on to cut. Doesn't take a twitter website to know that budget woes are because the state is spending more than it earns. It continues to spend even despite record low revenues. This is not a successful business model.

By Harrison on Aug 27, 2009

If Whitman is elected to be the next Governator, will be interesting to see how she will embrace technology to help California out of budget deficit. Arnold appears to be embracing social media very effectively. Especially with Whitman's ties to silicon valley - I bet she can connect us better with government to get some new ideas flowing. Maybe CA can have an eBay store.

By Jimbo on Aug 26, 2009

This governor has no political capitol left. Just like the hydrogen hiway gone and almost forgotten

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