An innovative website using Wikipedia-like collaborative software has given people around the world to design the perfect -- if sadly fictional -- candidate for the US presidency.

On www.Wikicandidate08.com, contributors in the quest for the ideal person to run America over the next four years can edit or over-write previous entries, changing the sex, name, photo and political agenda and response to events in the news.

Wikicandidate has kicked off proceedings with an imaginary candidate based on a real-life American satirical comedian, Stephen Colbert.

According to the site's bio, Colbert plays cello and mandolin and wants to fix climate change, global poverty and food insecurity.

The project has a serious goal, the British weekly New Scientist reports in next Saturday's issue.