Story Ideas (Set One)

These are the ideas that I have spent the most time on:

1) Story Incubator

With all this new feedback-ready, user created content type stuff, I think maybe we focus too much on the consumer and expect him to become a creator. Maybe we can somehow help or create something for the creators or distributors that would help them push that content out.
So this idea struck me when I was doing some research for producers at CBS... what about creating a resource for journalists (professional and personal) to help generate story ideas?
I know its like "shouldn't journalists be able to find their own stories?" Well yes. But I'm also sure that many stories go unreported because many stories are never identified as stories.

We could create a system where a person finds a problem in his community, goes home, logs on to a facebook/digg.com database (of course) and posts an idea for a story. At the same time the journalist who is about to do another story on Paris Hilton finds this great story within the community on StoryIdeas.com (or something). Boom, many winners. I think it would be a useful website for many different parties. thoughts?

2) The Article Review

Aimed for our generation. A database of stories that cover the same news event set up for review and comparison. For instance: lets take the whole Paris Hilton going to jail thing. The database will compile as many articles as it can from different sources around the country and submit them to a side-by-side, slick looking, flash comparision.

Then anyone from The Article Review community can judge, rate and post comments on the calibur of each article based on balance, bias, talent, creativity, slant and spin. The best written article based on user comments will be displayed in full graphic at the top, so viewers who are just in it to read the best journalism can do that. The same can be done for TV packages on the web as well.

3) The Freelancers

Aimed at "the web" generation. The Wanderer for news but more comprehensive and home-based (for your PC or MAC). Instead of just one dude, a slew of characters invade your desktop, each covering a different piece of news, updated every hour on the hour. This is not a webpage, allthough webpage based. The animated, 2D, fully functional and voice operated characters sit right on your desktop. For Instance: if you want sports, select Chip the sports character and he will give you a 2-5 minute breakdown of the major sporting events of the day and specifically the past hour. If nothing has happened in the past hour, then he'll rap with you about something going on in the sporting world or give his opinion on a series a game or a play.

All the characters have different personalities (based on what news they cover) and they each cover different events (hard news, features, sports, entertainment/gossip, tech, etc.). Hip, animated newscast with style. Drag them anywhere on the desktop or load to podcast. Community website where you can download more content or leave forum-style comments on each of their own personal webspaces. So you can leave "chip" a message. etc etc.

4) Red vs. Blue

Competitive news commenting. This may be a little ridiculous, but if we're talking popularity, this thing may sell. Professional articles and political issues are posted on the RvB website. When you click on an article or issue a page loads with the aritcle in the middle with a red column and a blue column. When you register for the site, you register as either a conservative or a liberal and whenever you click on an article you may post in either the blue (liberal) or red (conservative) box depending on what you registered as. You then have a limited amount of room to write a well thought out argument for your side of the issue. The site is constantly being monitored by the either a pannel of unbiased judges or the outside community.

For each comment written in the blue or red box there is a point system. A point is added for each well thought out, well argued point. No point is awarded for something stupid. And points are taken away for something offensive. By the end of the day, the side with the most points for that given article gets (1) overall point for their individual site profile (to which there is a whole slew of other options that I haven't thought of yet. Having more points alows for a better standing within the site, which then creates more options for posting (like a more room to write, rant space, bigger icons, etc.) and eventually prizes. As you keep progressing, the site, or game gets more involved and its a great/fun/frustrating and attention grabbing way to keep up with news. Everyone has an opinion.

I'll post a few lessly developed ones in a little bit.