Obama Pitches Public Service—On the Net

Barack Obama, like John F. Kennedy before him, has issued a call to service in a novel medium. For Kennedy it was television, and Obama, unsurprisingly, is using the Internet to drum up volunteerism, Time reports. USAService.org allows willing citizens to find projects, or even organize them, and capitalizes on the successes of the plugged-in campaign.

Obama says he hopes the nation will turn out en masse this weekend to participate in projects organized by groups from every point on the ideological spectrum, from Focus on the Family to a transgender advocacy group. The website, described during the campaign as a “Craigslist for service,” bears Obama’s distinct mark. “We've been able to use the Barack Obama brand,” one organizer said. (More Barack Obama stories.)