What advice do you have to help me grow my idea?
Idea Description
Imagine the ultimate in the 'people-powered' social media/citizen journalism revolution: news webcasts that allow the audience become active participants.
At a pre-advertised time, you'd go to a new magazine website for a panel discussion and interview on, say, terrorism. You see a 3-way split screen. The editor-in-chief of the magazine introduces an investigative reporter and a terrorism expert. After a few introductory questions, individuals (in a queue) in the audience become the interviewers. They also get to register their reactions to what is said via live polling.
Forget the big-name network anchors. You're now in the driver's seat.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
Find the right programmers to design the application. Obtain further funding. Test, deploy, market and monetize the application. (It would first be deployed on our magazine site, [future site at tnimag.com] then after it was branded in the public mind as having originated with us, it would be licensed to other media. It would probably be picked up by independent media first, then leapfrog to mainstream media news sites.)
Go team! ;-)
I love this idea and look forward to joining in the dialogue with experts and "average Joes". I ran out of shoes to throw a long time ago and have since resorted to print/documentaries and independent news sources only. Well done, MightyMouse!
Excellent idea! Losing the network folks would be a refreshing change.
Sooth...it will have linkable archives. I hadn't thought about transcripts.....hmnnnn. Definitely possible. And easy to do. Thanks for your interest!
Wonderful idea, and best wishes for success! MightyMouse, I'm not sure of the entire concept....will it eventually have linkable archives with transcripts too? Please say yes!
Hi Ron: We won't until it's over -after we pass midnight tonight. The votes tallied on the front page are as of midnight last night. As you can see we have a lot of catching up to do.
So, how do we know who is winning?
This is fantastic - being able to ask questions and get answers right away. It would help bring more objectivity to news, as we would be able to ask the questions the news editors censor out.
interesting idea. It would become a platform for the return of "objective" reporting. lay out the facts and let the people determine what their opinion is. I like it a lot. It is also an idea that has a lot of room to grow and expand...something else I think is pure genius. congrats...you get my vote.
Great idea! check out my idea too: social networking site for neighbors and neighborhoods: http://ideablob.com/ideas/810-A-social-networking-website-for
This sounds outstanding. I really look forward to it.
Great idea.
Thank you for your vote, Barbara!
Excellent idea!
May draw a web-attack if the speaker is controversial (but that would make news too). Need a good host to "force" experts to answer the questions straight/fully or to ask followup questions. If TNI isn't big enough to keep this service going at least 20 hrs/wk initally, or can't handle the full funding without jepordizing other priorities, they might consider forming a consortium with other like-minded organizations who could time-share this idea. That could split development costs and give the idea a better track record to increase the visibility/viability of the package for ultimate resale to other larger organizations.
Power to the people!
Thank you, rwall. We appreciate everybody turning out today to vote. We do need every single one.
Great way for ordinary, "unsellected" people to participate in "The National Discusiion" - a microphone for the silent majority, perhaps. Good luck with making this happen!
Thanks, JG!
My best wishes to you in bringing about this idea's success. I look forward to observing the finished product.
This is a brilliant idea! I look forward to seeing how this will work out.
A great use of internet technology and a terrific way to spur people to think for themselves instead of being spoon fed all the time!
To Choco6 (add): I should also add that often times it's the "average Joe" that delivers an incisive common sense that eludes many "experts."
To Choco6: Video wouldn't be such an integral part of Web2.0 if millions couldn't easily play video. (And bear in mind, we're already heading into Web3.0) Also -this isn't about giving a soapbox to "average Joes" but allowing our intelligent audience to ask questions. No more will a viewer have to throw a shoe at CNN or FOX because of vacuous, softball questions being asked... I should add, as a reporter I found many subject matter experts among my readership. These experts often had important insights and knowledge overlooked by reporters.
I would use it, even though I've only just gotten up to speed with the IBM Correcting Selectric III.
This idea is cool, but why should I be interested in what any average Joe has to say about Darfur. You know what I mean? In order for this site to really take off, I think you'd need to have a voting feature or something to give users an indication of what "journalists" know what they're talking about. I could see this idea doing well several years from now. I could be wrong, but currently I don't think enough people have fast Internet or webcams to get the full experience.
Excellent idea that would provide a great source of information, along with the ability to interact, while allowing anyone to become a part of the journalistic process.
very creative idea!!
Cool idea. I might know some good (immigrant) programmers who could do it for you economically
Great idea!
Wow! Great idea. I think many people would love a one-on-one with media people. It also would get audience concerns and interests registered directly with the media, which are too often cut off from ordinary people and elitist. I like this a lot and think it's very feasible.
i like the idea! thanks for the vote!
Interesting Idea. I wish programmers were cheaper, but in my experience a site like this will cost 20-40k. I think the 10k is a good start though.