We just applied to the Knight Foundation's News Challenge.  It might be a stretch, but the program is so interesting, and of course we think Story Capture is one of the most innovative and potentially profound ideas in the "citizen creator / citizen journalism" area.

Here's some text from our preliminary application:

Describe your project:

We are developing a methodology and toolkit for mining conversations on social media platforms and creating persistent narratives that have long-term social impact. Time-based dialogues (including text, images, video, etc.) can be collected from SMS, email, voice, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and then sorted and re-sequenced into story lines (narrative elements shaped into logical or chronological order), edited or commented upon, and then pushed back into the online conversation. Web-based standards like RSS allow an any-to-any connection between content streams and publishing platforms. Last month's blogs and Twitter conversations can be re-purposed from a journalistic, ethnographic or historical perspective to become a lasting document of a period, community, program or purpose. By providing a community platform to collect and re-edit stories, we foster a dialogue about dialogue, a collaboration on storytelling. We reach out to where people are talking today and help them talk to tomorrow.

How will your project improve the way news and information are delivered to geographic communities?

Currently there is a divide between professional and citizen creators, and between yesterday's conversation, today's journalism, and tomorrow's historical perspective. The Story Capture concept provides a platform for multiple creators within a "purposeful community" to collaborate on creating compelling narratives that make a difference, that will influence people and motivate change.

How is your idea innovative? (new or different from what already exists)

We've discussed the approach with a wide range of organizations and interests, from the Library of Congress to leading foundations and web 2.0 developers. Currently there are no existing online platforms that address the issue of turning time-based social media (reverse chronological order) into persistent (chronological order) narrative forms. At the same time we are developing innovative tools for re-tagging and re-purposing content, and working on methodologies to enable busy citizens engaged in community work to capture that work, frequently and consistently, in digital form. We hope the combination of innovations in each area will help create a "self-documenting society".

What experience do you or your organization have to successfully develop this project?

The Learning Worlds Institute evolved from a not-for-profit arts and education organization, and a for-profit technology marketing and innovation consultancy. We have a long history of working with a wide variety of organizations, in many parts of the world, on projects involving technology, media, and collaboration. We have experience with software development, metadata and content archiving projects, and PR, marketing, and content creation methodologies. Partners and collaborators have ranged from Cornell and Yale Universities to museums and schools in Russia, Japan, and Korea; from SAP, Microsoft, Bell Labs and IBM to Epson and NTT.