What do Robert Scoble, Bono, and the prime minister of Hungary have in common? They might all be watching you on YouTube before the week is out.World leaders, economists, technology experts, scientists, and other deep thinkers will convene at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, this week to shape the global agenda. The theme this year is "the power of collaborative innovation" and in that spirit, the world's best minds want to hear from you, via YouTube.

Organizers of the annual conference are inviting the public to create video responses to the Davos Question: "What one thing do you think that countries, companies, or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?" and upload them to YouTube.

Anyone can watch and rank the videos. Those with the highest ratings will be screened for world leaders at the conference Jan. 23 - 27.

The World Economic Forum is supported by corporate strategic partners from a range of industries. Tech companies that support the WEF include AT&T, Avaya, Cisco Systems, Google, Infosys Technologies, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Siemens. This year's technology-focused sessions will cover:

• The "dearth of U.S. engineers and the elevation of R&D spending as economic indicator in the EU"
• Technology trends "as devices of all kinds become ever more networked, and interfaces and online behaviour evolve rapidly"
• The implications of "faster communication and multitasking ... and in an increased need for stimulation"
• Cyberspying: A Tangible Threat?

• Intellectual property rights as they relate to user-created innovations
• How IT "affects the delivery of education and the acquisition of skills"

• The future of mobile technology

Tech topics are well represented on the schedule, but this year's proceedings may be colored by the grim economic news rocking world markets this week. One scheduled session is titled "If America Sneezes, Does the World Still Catch a Cold?"

For those of us who couldn't make it to Davos this year, conference organizers will be posting Webcasts and podcasts of forum sessions here.