Thursday, March 26, 2009

I get by with a little help from my friends

Many thanks to those who commented about Twitter - some interesting ideas and I am paying heed. I just tweeted calling out for sources I'm in need of for a story on Marketplace about spring homebuying season. We'll see where this takes us... 

One person I follow is Chris Spurgeon. Not only because Chris is super awesome and always up to interesting stuff... but also because he has some really engaging ideas. 

Here's one that we were talking about the other night over dinner at HOME (gotta give a shout out to one of my favorite, dog-friendly dining establishments)... Chris suggested a rating system for news. The thought being that some days there is a bunch of important news... other days, there really isn't that much important stuff going on. Radio shows HAVE to fill a certain amount of time... newspapers have a certain number of pages to fill, but online... well, there aren't the same requirements. 

What Chris suggested was having a panel of experts, perhaps a rotating group, which would rate the news headlines. Based on a profile you created, you could specify what threshold of importance you wanted to be notified about. So, let's say that I'm only mildly interested in sports, but really interested in California politics -- I might ask that only sports stories rated at a 10 (eg Michael Jordan to launch new career as ice dancer) would be sent to me but political stories rated at a 6 or higher go through. 

I have NO idea how would make something like that work. But I think it's a really neat idea. 

And in totally different news... I was at CRUMBS bakeshop today to pick up some birthday treats for a dear friend. That place is truly remarkable and very very dangerous. I look forward to trying out some Cherry Blossom and Peanut Butter Banana cupcakes later tonight!

5 comments:

  1. hi, i was so sad to hear the last episode of Day to Day--it was one of my favorite NPR shows. Best of luck to everyone!

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  2. Not that interested in sports stories...ha...you're funny.

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  3. Hi Alex! I like opinion by Chris S regarding rating the news. Moreover, depending on the slant by the person who is delivering the news. Have not noticed a 360 degree slant from the seasoned reporters NPR, PRI, etc. But have you noticed Anderson Cooper's change in attitude over the last few months? CNN,MSNBC, NY Times, Wash Post, and the weekly mag's (Nation, AM Prospect, The Week, etc.) have a different slant on the story. I and many would participate in a "Tweet" to rate the headlines. BTW, I am a football fan, and can not wait to get back to fantasy football in the fall! Hope all is well! and Thanks for keeping in touch with all of us "News Fanatics". And many thanks for your support of KPCC in LA!

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  4. I think Chris's idea about rating the news is a great idea. It allows editorial guidance yet still allows reader control. Great Idea!

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  5. Hi Alex: Heard your story today on Market Place about home buying. Great story. Also, great job on the All Things Considered Story that aired on Wednesday. Will post comments later, as I am short on time. Love hearing your insightful reports. Regards

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