Editor’s Choices for Week Ending May 25, 2012

Article of the Week
Dan Beckmann And Tom Hallaran’s Plan To Bring Big Data To Big Government (FastCompany)
Big Idea:  Being able to write to your congressperson just became a whole lot more relevant thanks to the new analytic platform Correlate.  The platform scans email, mail and social media correspondence for congressional members and ties it to in-process legislation. It provides a real-time look into constituent sentiment towards bills supported by their congressperson.

Editor’s Choice Articles
Fundable debuts as a Kickstarter for corporate set (GigaOm)
Big Idea:  Crowdsourced fundraising isn’t necessarily a new idea.  But Fundable is focused on the product development side of raising early stage capital (for equity) for startups.  This is where it differs from Kickstarter, which is more focused on creative business projects like film, art and literature without any type of equity.  Could platforms like this spur an economic recovery?

Kickstarted: my conversation with Kickstarter co-founder Perry Chen (GigaOm)
Big Idea:  Interview with Kickstarter founder Perry Chen and his 3 year journey of the crowdsourced funding platform for creative projects.  Chen shares his vision for Kickstarter, why he started the company and where he can plans on taking the company.

Data Mining Your Desktop (MIT Technology Review)
Big Idea:  Most enterprise social networks require humans to seek out and find individuals with like interests.  HP is taking a different approach by scanning your documents and connecting you with like individuals.  This capability can help individuals connect through areas of interest and expertise within a company.

McGraw-Hill: Build education tech, and we’ll buy you (GigaOm)
Big Idea:  Another example on how the educational system is trying to adapt.  With the cost of education skyrocketing like healthcare, new ideas and platforms are being developed to equalize the playing field.  McGraw-Hill, an incumbent in educational media, is looking for startups that it can either acquire or partner with.

Mindjet Connects Vision, Action In Social Platform (InformationWeek – the Brainyard)
Big Idea:  More and more software platforms are introducing social capabilities.  Mindjet, a collaborative brainstorming and mind-mapping tool, is extending its software to include enterprise social functionality that creates better visibility into areas like product development.  This combined with visualization capabilities are helping improve the effectiveness of managing large complex projects.