Social media news and TV – Current.com Blog – Your guide to Current

Last week I laid out details about our editorial team and guidelines when it comes to finding and featuring content on Current.com. Today we’re launching a brand new community-based experiment built on top of our editorial practices which, for lack of a better name, I’m calling “Developing Stories.”

What is a Developing Story?

This doesn’t always hold true, but quite frequently we notice that stories we feature on Current.com actually speak to a larger, ongoing story in play. Sometimes these stories are stretched out over longer periods of time (e.g. the ongoing discussions around public options in healthcare reform, or the debates surrounding gay marriage), and other times these stories are developing rapidly over the course of hours (e.g. Elections 2009, Afghan presidential elections, or Michael Jackson’s death).

Starting today, we’ll begin identifying certain featured stories that we think have the opportunity to be “developed” further. These stories will be added to our Developing Stories group, and we’ll clearly mark it as such on both the story page and whichever image is picked to accompany the story.

What does it mean to have a story picked as a Developing Story?

This is the cool part. Getting your story featured as a Developing Story is like having the stage handed over to you. We’re looking to take a closer look at the underpinnings of these stories, and we’re giving you the opportunity to take on the role of online investigative journalist in the process. As long as things continue to progress in a relevant way, your story will remain featured on Current.com.

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Remember our Make Common’s Day callout? Well Shana just announced Common’s pick on the Current Music Blog, take a look:

From the many amazing videos, Common hand-picked his favorite, ‘Common’s Make My Day Music Video: Clip Art’, by Josh Milowe, Elizabeth Casal and Mike Potter, collectively known as Wealthy Pictures.

Check out the video above, and look for its on-air premiere Wednesday, November 4 at 11/10c during Embedded featuring Common:

This is awesome news, and a hearty congratulations is due to all who submitted to this. Thanks!

Hey Currentians,

Last week our community cried out for the return of Vicky the Robot and Current News, and in response I posted some details about the return of “bumps to TV” on the Current.com blog. We’re still working hard on these and when we’re ready to update, you’ll read it here first.

The sad part? Vicky won’t be returning to the airwaves alongside our “bumps to TV” for various reasons. We’re going to miss her dearly, but I’ll have you know, the split was amicable. When we approached her with the news of our intended plan, Vicky surprisingly replied:

We honestly had no idea how hard Current:News was for her. Her reaction to the news definitely shed some light on the situation, and the more we discussed it the more this change made sense for everyone involved.

As she mentioned, Vicky is going to take some time out for herself. She’s planned a trip to tour Europe, and she might even do some self-upgrading. We’re sad to see her go, but this isn’t the end for Vicky and Current. She’s agreed to check in every once in a while via Facebook, and she plans to keep a close eye on the re-launch of our “bumps to TV.” She’s invested in it, and wants to see it all work out.

So, here is where you guys come in. Let’s send Vicky off with some love directly from the Current community. We’ve set up a group for Vicky specifically, titled “Current [hearts] Vicky.” Head over there, submit a webcam, and tell her what you think. Let’s send her off in style.

Please use the button below [make sure you're logged in] to head over to the Current.com clipper and add a webcam, photo, or comment for Vicky:

You may have noticed that we’ve been making quite a few changes at Current lately. Well, we’ve got a few more up our sleeve, and once again we’re looking for volunteers to help us out as we test a new, top-secret, super-interactive feature!

Here’s the deal:

You give us a few hours of your time, and we give you a sneak peek at some of what’s coming for Current.

There are a couple of things you’ll need to participate:

1. You’ll need to be free on Wednesday, May  20th from 1-2 pm PDT OR 4-5 pm PDT.

2. You’ll need to have reliable internet access

3. You’ll need to be able to watch Current TV (Not sure if you get Current? Check our listings to find Current on your provider.)

If you’ve got these three things covered, leave a comment on this post with your Current.com username. There are a limited number of spots to participate, and you’ll need to let us know by 10 am Wednesday if you’re interested, so don’t delay!

Steph

[UPDATE] — We’ve passed our 10 am deadline, so for those of you still interested you’ll need to keep an eye out for the next window of opportunity. Stay tuned!