Create your own US Presidential candidate

On Wikicandidate08.com, contributors in the quest for the ideal person to run America over the next four years can edit or over-write previous entries, changing the sex, name, photo and political agenda and response to events in the news.

Wikicandidate has kicked off proceedings with an imaginary candidate based on a real-life American satirical comedian, Stephen Colbert.

According to the site8217;s bio, Colbert plays cello and mandolin and wants to fix climate change, global poverty and food insecurity.

The project has a serious goal, the British weekly New Scientist reports in next Saturday8217;s issue.

It has been launched by researchers at Cornell University in New York, who want to explore the benefits and disadvantages of 8220;online civic participation8221; in electionyear.

If enough people take part, the profile of the candidate that eventually emerges 8220;will act as a wish list8221; of the characteristics that voters desire in a US President, they hope.