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Today is "Day 10" of Political Base, and I'm visiting and re-posting because I know one of the principal team members. He's asked for my feedback, and this seems as legit a manner as any in which to provide that. I feel like an uninvited "Public Editor" (a la Daniel Okrent of the NYT), who is able to speak freely about issues affecting "the paper," based on readers' feedback. The only difference is that these view are those of the writer...here goes:

• I've had no urge (beyond the guilt to offer feedback) to visit the site; I'm still not clear what the utility here is. I have no need to comb through companies' or individuals' donation data, I already read NYT/Kos/Time/Post, and I'm unclear why I would re-visit to "check" my status/points. I am 119/1126 users with "0" points, but I don't know what that means.

• I was disappointed when I visited and the site had no idea who I was -- such a simple and yet commonly-violated 101 principal of site-based experiences. I took the time on "Day Zero" to (i) create a profile, (ii) upload an image and (iii) write a blog post (more than most visitors' civic duty to the site, I would hazard), and upon my return, I was treated like anyone else. Lame.

• The homepage (even when logged in) is a barrage of choices, and I'm not fully-sure what I'm "supposed to do." I think reading blog postings and feeling like I'm "getting scoop" on the political scene is the main thrust, as evidenced by the main column of stories listed. I don't doubt that smart and connected folks are writing these stories, but aren't they just drafting off of stories that "real" reporters are reporting? I didn't see any substantiation for why PB's writers are special (and they may well be).

• I did a self-assessment via the "Decision Wizard" to select one's 2008 political candidate, and was relieved to learn that PB agrees with my choice of candidate -- I think the "know thyself" nature of that wizard is powerful, and two others who wrote back saying it was "a good tool" agreed it was accurate and fair. Okay, so now what? Is that data tied into my profile in any way? Does the site "learn" from my providing that data in any way (my sense is not)? Can I meet the other, most like-minded folks in the community (I misseed it if this is possible)? This was an unfortunate dead-ender.

I'm still hopeful, but I'm not seeing it, and as stated in my inaugural post, I'm not sure "Where my..." lives on this site -- an open question for now.