We want to build it for real. The completed civilometer will provide fair, transparent, and accurate tools for measuring civility in political speech. The site will make it easy to draw comparisons and map trends across vast archives of political speech such as campaign sites, editorials, and blogs.

If you like the idea of holding politicians and newsmakers accountable to a fair and accurate standard for civility, please help us get funding to fully develop the site. We've applied to the Knight News Challenge for a grant to connect all the pipes and keep the lights on.

How you can help

The Knight Foundation wants to see public support for this concept. Please help us by liking, sharing, and tweeting about the civilometer. The contest deadline is this week, so spread the message far and wide.