• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 26, 2010

YouTube on Wednesday will broadcast the State of the Union address on Citizentube and unveil a Google Moderator series that gives people the opportunity to submit questions to U.S. President Barack Obama.

People will have the ability to submit questions and vote on their favorites. Next week, YouTube will bring some of the top-voted questions to the president in a YouTube interview that will stream live from the White House on Citizentube. A YouTube representative from the News and Politics team will moderate the interview. "With this opportunity, everyday citizens will have the same type of access once only reserved for journalists," says Steve Grove, head of News and Politics at YouTube. "It's a new milestone for the State of the Union speech and demonstrates the way that platforms like YouTube can be used to increase transparency in government and access to world leaders."

Social media gives politicians, small to large businesses, and individuals the opportunity to have a voice. It allows companies to begin with a smaller campaign and expand as needed.

Obama's decision to participate in social media, to some extent, has an effect on a brand's decision to explore options in social media campaigns, Janna Marshall, Red Roof Inn manager of ecommerce, tells MediaPost at OMMA Social in San Francisco Tuesday. "We are starting a major push in social media within the next few weeks and I do believe social media can influence consumer decisions," she says.

Marshall says Red Roof launched a Facebook fan page about a year ago that provides a platform for partners to promote country western musicians, but the plan will lead the hotel chain into other social media campaigns this year.

The State of the Union speech this year will make history, as it becomes the first time that U.S. citizens will have the opportunity to ask follow-up questions during the speech and to hear the president's response to those questions. Discussions on YouTube about the address have already begun.

On the Citizentube home page Wednesday, Google will spotlight the responses of four experts to ideas that have been discussed online. YouTube worked with Newsweek to bring these experts online to respond to ideas.

General Wesley Clark, retired Army general and former presidential candidate, will take on questions about national security. Nouriel Roubini, professor in economics at New York University, will address ideas on jobs and economy. Jim Hansen, NASA climatologist, will weigh in on questions related to energy and environment. And Fareed Zakaria, author and international editor of Newsweek, will discuss ideas in education.