Are French politics an example of mass collaboration ?

Rather interestingly, Segolène Royal launched a massive "collective" writing of her "Pacte Presidentiel". This was built around a website, "Desirs d'Avenir", in which I have seen interesting and high quality discussions and "wikis". This was complemented by real life meetings all around France. Both streams of events resulted in a small team analyzing and trying to reach conclusions to actually write the candidate's "Pacte Présidentiel".

As someone that has been trying to help organizations develop internal network and communities, I was not optimistic about the impact of this methodology. So ambitious ! It seemed too quick to work and producing a real document felt to me like manipulating people.

And yet, the candidate made it to the next round. As always, it is not so much the contents as the social network created around a person, an idea or a group that is important. Even in politics.

If she goes all the way to the presidency, how will she continue with her "community-oriented" policy-making ? Will she push it and break barriers in this brave new world or fall back and risk being seen as only another talented politician ?

In any case, we have not heard the last of "mass policy making"