New "Widget" Grows WashingtonWatch.com Community
Activism and Awareness Tool Sees Rapid Adoption on Blogoshpere
November 19, 2007
Contact: Jim Harper (202) 486-0824
http://www.washingtonwatch.com
Washington, D.C. — The new Web "widget" introduced by WashingtonWatch.com a few weeks ago is seeing quick adoption across the blogosphere, making more and more Americans aware of the public policies that affect them. The widget is a small piece of web code that allows webmasters and bloggers to show the current state of opinion on bills pending in Congress, and to encourage their visitors to be active and aware.
"Bloggers are using this tool to get their neighbors involved," said Jim Harper, Webmaster of WashingtonWatch.com. "The WashingtonWatch.com widget is showing up in blog posts, blogrolls, and on Web sites of all kinds."
The following are just a few of the sites using the WashingtonWatch.com widget:
http://crzegrl.net/?p=630
http://www.bmwe3014.org/
http://jodaya.blogspot.com/2007/11/hr-4138.html
http://patrickmurphyblog.com/2007/10/31/im-back/
http://www.x8djembe.com/blog/2007/11/stop-illegal-logging-and-protect.asp
http://allergyparenting.blogspot.com/2007/11/vote-for-it.html
http://www.codeblog.com/archives/the_scoop/the_government_contemplates_nu.html
WashingtonWatch.com has many more tools that help inform and activate citizens. Every bill in Congress has a wiki-editable page on WashingtonWatch.com with links to more information. Each page allows comments so that members of the public express their opinions. Each page also allows visitors to vote "yea" or "nay" on the bills before Congress.
The WashingtonWatch.com weekly newsletter, and RSS feeds from the site, also offer direct links to the voting function, allowing site users to quickly and easily make their opinions known. Voting brings them to the page with more information and communication options.
"We want to make it easier for people to get informed and get involved," said Harper. "People who care about the environment, taxes, health care, or any other issue can now quickly express their opinions, and learn what others think. It's a small but important step toward putting people in charge of their government."
WashingtonWatch.com uses government predictions about the costs or savings from proposed laws to calculate the significance to average Americans - in dollars and cents - of proposed changes to the nation's policies. More information about these calculations is available on the "about" page of the Web site.