One point about the netbook question and reply process is that those who replied most probably had a netbook with the real experience of it.

It was thus potentially very usefull to you who had not one and only could think about how it could be usefull.

but when it comes to extending that process to better choosing a policy I doubt that the extention process is valid just like that.

Let me give an example, imagine yourself in France in May-June 1940 you lead the french government, imagine your have twitter and all the french connected to it.
You want to know what could be the best policy for France.

You send a question using twitter.

You will receive 39 999 999 twits from the french saying we are lost, we have no issue but to surrender for ever.

You will receive 1 twit from 1 colonel, just promoted general, that has been constantly repeating that France needed tanks and was never believed though.

In his twit you can read that the war is not lost we should keep on fighting.

Now, here is my question :

As the French leader of government, you have witnessed the worst ever defeat of France, the whole country invaded in one month, where just before as a winner of Verdun and of world war I you thought, and the whole Europe with you, that your country was a great military power.

How can you possibly find out against the number of replies, and against your own way of thinking, and you have been a very clever person all your life, that the one twit which is right is the one by the general de Gaulle ?

I have another question, how do you rank replies according to their usefullness ?

And thanks everyone!