Last January over 139,000 questions were submitted for a YouTube interview with President Obama. This year, YouTube is accepting question submissions for the next interview with the President, but this time they’re taking things to the next level—the interview will be conducted in a + Hangout and participants that submit the top-voted questions will actually get to join the President in the + Hangout and take part in the conversation live. Last year the most-asked questions were about the legalization of marijuana. Will the same happen this year?
Ramya Raghavan, YouTube News and Politics Manager, announced the call for question submissions on the YouTube blog. She writes, “If you could hang out with President Obama, what would you ask him? Would your question be about jobs or unemployment? The threat of nuclear weapons? Immigration reform? Whatever your question is, submit it on YouTube for the opportunity to ask the President directly in a special interview.”
The interview will take place on Monday, January 30, just days after Obama delivers his State of the Union address, but questions should be submitted ahead of time, from today through January 28. Visit the White House YouTube channel for more information, and to submit your questions. While text questions are accepted, video questions are preferable (and probably increase your chances of being voted up and selected to join the President in the + Hangout).
On a similar note, the President’s State of the Union Address will be streamed live tomorrow night at 9PM ET at YouTube.com/WhiteHouse. If you’re not sure yet what you’d want to ask the President, watching his address might inspire you.
So far there have been 112 questions cast and three of them are about pot, but submissions have only been open for a few hours. What do you think? Will Obama face a barrage of questions about Mary Jane again this year, or will we see a focus on jobs, the economy, foreign policy and other issues?
Megan O’Neill is the resident web video enthusiast here at Social Times. Megan covers everything from the latest viral videos to online video news and tips, and has a passion for bizarre, original and revolutionary content and ideas.