Google Moderator

{{short description|Google service (2008–2015)}}

{{Infobox website

|name = Google Moderator

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|commercial = No

|type = Issue tracking system

|registration = Required

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|content_license = Proprietary

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|owner = Google

|author = Dave S. Young, Ashley Cadd, Taliver Heath,{{cite web| url=https://techcrunch.com/2008/09/25/use-google-moderator-to-crowdsource-group-questions/| title=Use Google Moderator To Crowdsource Group Questions| author=Michael Arrington| publisher=TechCrunch| date=2008-09-25| accessdate=2011-01-20}}{{cite web| url=http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/1001_google_apps/12.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005021138/http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/1001_google_apps/12.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=October 5, 2009| title=Google's 20 Hottest Tools: Google Moderator| publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek| date=2009-09-01| accessdate=2014-01-21}} and Colby Ranger

|launch_date = September 2008

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|current_status =Discontinued as of June 30, 2015

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Google Moderator was a Google service that used crowdsourcing to rank user-submitted questions, suggestions and ideas. It was launched on September 25, 2008 and shut down on June 30, 2015. The service allowed the management of feedback from a large number of people, who could vote for questions they thought should be posed from a pool of questions submitted by others or submit their own to be asked and voted on. The service aimed to ensure that every question was considered, let the audience see others' questions, and helped the moderator of a team or event address the questions that the audience most cared about.{{cite web|last=Lai |first=Sarah |url=http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/google-launches.html |title=Google Launches Google Moderator For Presidential Debates | Threat Level from Wired.com |publisher=Blog.wired.com |date=2008-09-28 |accessdate=2009-04-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205151326/http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/google-launches.html |archivedate=2008-12-05 }} The service was internally nicknamed Dory at Google, a reference to "the fish who asked questions all the time in Finding Nemo".{{Cite web|url=http://searchengineland.com/google-moderator-aka-dory-launches-14817|title = Google Moderator (AKA Dory) Launches|date = 25 September 2008}}

Google Moderator was developed by Google engineers Dave S. Young, Taliver Heath, and Colby Ranger in their 20% time, led by project manager Katie Jacobs Stanton.{{cite web|url=http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?sid=1588917&nid=19 |title=Federal News Radio 1500 AM: What is Google Moderator? |publisher=Federalnewsradio.com |date= 30 January 2009|accessdate=2009-04-20}}{{cite web|last=Battelle |first=John |url=http://battellemedia.com/archives/002437.php |title=News: Google.Portal.Finance Launches - John Battelle's Searchblog |publisher=Battellemedia.com |date=2006-03-20 |accessdate=2009-04-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605101721/http://battellemedia.com/archives/002437.php |archivedate=2009-06-05 }}

In December 2008, Google Moderator was used by the President-elect Barack Obama's transition team in a public series called "Open for Questions", in which they answered questions from the general public. The first series ran for less than 48 hours and attracted 1 million votes from 20,000 people on 10,000 questions.{{cite web|url=http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_comes_to_a_close_at_1200_am/|title=This edition of Open for Questions comes to a close at 12:00 a.m.|publisher=Change.gov|date=2008-12-11|accessdate=2014-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225144643/http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_comes_to_a_close_at_1200_am/|archive-date=2014-02-25|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_round_2_response/ |title=Open for Questions Round 2: Response | Change.gov: The Obama-Biden Transition Team |publisher=Change.gov |date=2009-01-09 |accessdate=2009-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420014753/http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_round_2_response/ |archive-date=2009-04-20 |url-status=dead }} The second series ran for just over a week and attracted 4.7 million votes from 100,000 people on 76,000 questions. In January 2009, Obama appointed Stanton to the newly created position of Director of Citizen Participation.

Google Moderator was shut down on June 30, 2015, because the usage did not meet Google's expectations.{{cite web |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sPmkuVqoHKue7SlL3tSLrDsyufB8owMeR8AHx4LG8FA/pub |title=Moderator shutdown announcement |author= |date= |website=Google Docs |publisher= |access-date=11 May 2015}} The site remained available as read-only until August 15, 2015, at which time it closed completely. Content remained available for several years via Google's Takeout tool.