And whether as a person drawn to public service, or simply someone who insists on being an active citizen, you will be exposed to more opinions and ideas broadcast through more means of communication than ever existed before.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama: Notre Dame Commencement

After becoming a citizen, Frias became active in the Massachusetts-based community organization Neighbor 2 Neighbor, which helped register 1, 111 voters in low-income neighborhoods throughout the state.

CNN: First-time voters look to Obama to restore American dream

Before discovering citizen journalism, she was a less active person, simply going to school to teach and then coming home, she said.

CNN: Teacher wants to exercise more, go back to school

Train, active in foreign and military affairs for four decades as a citizen and writer (he's the author of such financial books as The Money Masters, which profiled Templeton), has a rsum suited to so sweeping a cause.

FORBES: Nobel Gestures

Ms. ABDULLAH: I think one of the issues is that we are sort of used to the idea that citizen engagement is an input process model, and they are not really an active participant in making and deciding what those policies should be.

NPR: Shooting Strains Police-Community Ties in NYC