Got a State of the Union address query for Obama? Ask Quora

At this rate, President Barack Obama might just dispense with the formalities and tweet his State of the Union address.

Social media firms are vying to outdo each other to seize a larger role during the address and the Administration has been only too happy to oblige: the President or his staff will follow up by answering citizen questions in video chat, on Twitter and via other online platforms in the coming days. The White House has promised to answer questions submitted by users of Quora, an "intelligent discussion site." The site will hold a live stream of Obama’s address and has asked users to submit questions on domestic and economic policy. The company will select an unspecified number of questions to be answered by the White House over the next few days. Directly after the speech, a live panel of senior White House advisers will answer citizens’ questions about the speech at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU. Questions will be funneled through Twitter, Facebook and Google+. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, a group of policy experts and advisers to Obama will participate in “office hours” on Twitter, where they’ll discuss issues presented on the microblogging site. Users can submit questions using the #WHChat hashtag. On Monday, President Obama will enter a special Google+ hangout to have a live video chat from the White House. Citizens can submit their questions on the White House’s YouTube channel.

As a result of these social media conversations, "you're just not watching the speech, you're engaged afterwards and able to really talk with us, help inform us better and answer any questions you might have about what the president proposed in the State of the Union," senior adviser David Plouffe said in a Web video encouraging people to tune in to the address.