Community Building in the Washington, DC area!!

SFP Editor: What inspired you to develop the iPhone Voting Card app? Chris Katopis: As an intellectual property attorney, for years I helped other creative people secure their rights, such as copyrights, patents and trademarks. One day I realized that I had creative aspirations that I wanted to protect myself. I realized that the mobile software app space was was exciting and offered a lot of opportunities for a variety of user experiences. Voting Card was a result of my experiences in Washington, politics, and working in tech policy.

SFP Editor: How does the Voting Card app work?
Chris Katopis: Voting Card is like a voting booth on your iPhone. I call it a mobile democracy interactivity tool. It is a free app on iTunes which works on the iPhone. We regularly add questions upon which people can vote on - ranging from real issues in Congress to fun made-up questions. Depending on your answer - you are rated "red" or "blue." (Just in case you didn't know already.) You can also get more information about issues, write the sponsor of a bill and post your comments on Facebook.

SFP Editor: What about your experience working on the Hill has influenced your development of the App?
Chris Katopis: The advice always given to young, just starting out novelists and play writes is "write about what you know". That influenced my choice for my app development project. My eight years as a Hill staffer were extremely rewarding on a personal and professional level. I chose to develop an app around politics and Congress.

SFP Editor: What is the process of developing the Voting Card app?
Chris Katopis: The process around this app's development was likely similar to any other software project. Start with a unique concept and execute the best you can. Unfortunately, I am not a programmer (coder). Thus, I had to hire a contractor. I asked a lot of friends for advice and studied numerous blogs. Unfortunately, my contractors got in over their heads. But in the end we got the app into the iTunes store. And I learned a lot. It is downloaded around the world. I am pleased to be exporting American democracy ;)

SFP Editor: As founder of founder of Capitol Game Science Media, what do you hope to achieve for your company with this app and other services?
Chris Katopis: My goal is to develop a unique, fun app that will also educate people. The goal is not fortune; it is to make great products will entertain and educate people. Politics continues to be a big thing for many people -- and will be bigger next year when the presidential election nears. We plan on launching several new apps later this year.

SFP Editor: What brought you to the DC area and what do you enjoy most about the city?
Chris Katopis: Originally, I came to DC to work on technology and IP policy for the government. I thought that after two years I would leave to get a "real job." Now, a decade-plus later I have a tech start-up. I enjoy many things about the city, including that it is a center for technology policy and the wonkiness. A lot of very interesting debates occur around here. In addition the start up tech and entrepreneur scene is becoming much bigger. And also, I have an amazing array of friends who work in a range of political, lobbying, legal and tech worlds. Both red and blue friends. And a bunch of purple ones too.

SFP Editor: Based on your IP and tech background, what trends do you see in gaming and mobile devices?
Chris Katopis: It is such an exciting space that many trends are emerging. First smart phones are no longer a luxury, they are becoming the standard. There are approximately 200+ million iOS devices (that's Apple) and an equal if not increasing number of Droid devices. It is exciting to combine a smartphone -- essentially a computer -- two-way communication, and location. Accordingly you can keep up with all of your friends in real time as you share experiences. The big trend now is shopping, as seen with the coupon sites. 2012 will be a big year for politics online and mobile apps.

SFP Editor: What would you see as being the most important issue facing IT users and developers?
Chris Katopis: A trend that I hope we see is the rise of authoring tools. Things that are "app word processors" for non-technical people. With such tools, you can write an app without being a developer, coder. That will enable many more creative people to enter the world of mobile apps. They will bring down the barriers to entry.

SFP Editor: How do you think Mobile apps will influence the next presidential election?
Chris Katopis: We can expect mobile apps to be huge in next year's presidential election. The candidates may not get it all right. But a lot of creative experimentation will be seen. Hopefully it will be fun and not labored. At least Voting Card will still be fun ;)

SFP Editor: If you could have lunch with Steven Jobs, where would you take him and what would you talk about?
Chris Katopis: I would love to know more about his experiences in building companies, including Apple, Pixar, and the NEXT computer. He will certainly be remembered as a great figure for US entrepreneurship, such as an Edison or Disney. He changed the way we live our lives, at least in a small way. Very few people can say this. We can certainly go wherever he'd like, but I would recommend the cafeteria at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum so we can check out some rockets and planes. I think he would enjoy the vibe.