Just for the record: Inventions...

Inventions or concepts that started here...

1). The Roberts pyramid...In journalism education, there is a newswriting style known as the inverted pyramid style. It is an upside-down pyramid which explains that the first sentence, or lead, of the story is the important, containing the 5 W's (who, what, when, where, why) and how or how much and sometimes an attribution. The inverted pyramid style of writing is old, dating back to the Civil War days, when news stories told in traditional ways of story-telling, like a fictional story, had to be changed in order to get through before telegraph wires were cut. When I use the inverted pyramid structure as a teaching tool for basic news reporting students, noting that they should eventually write more leads in the structure of nut graphs or featurized leads, I do incorporate a separate inverted pyramid to get them thinking about their lead. Thus, it is an inverted pyramid of important elements within an inverted pyramid of story structure. As the Roberts inverted pyramid concept is intended just the lead, the students are told to consider which one of the elements of the 5 W's and how or how much is most important and to start with that. It does seem to work in helping them design their leads. Usually, leads aren't started with the when or where elements. Usually, the leads begin with the who, what, why, or how much.

2). Pitch Golf...Many decades ago, in my book "Sage Street" and for my weekly newspaper, I wrote a column about my sports innovation of the exciting, but inexpensive game of "Poor Person's Golf." It is the golf game wherein people don't use fancy and expensive clubs to hit the golf ball down the golf course. Instead, they get to throw the ball. Then there is no need for anything but a golf ball. How many throws would it take for you to get down the course to the first hole? And what would be the likelihood of a pitched hole-in-one? They are all challenges in my "Poor Person's Golf" game, which is probably is need of a higher-brow name. Thus,..."Pitch Golf." While I haven't yet gotten a call from the PGA, I did encourage a recent college graduate who is golf club management to give it a promotional try. I am hopefully that it will catch on, especially in a tough economy.

3). We-Mail...I just saw on the Internet that a website called WeBuzz.Im or something like that has a new service called "We-Mail." Alums of a journalism newsletter that I have been writing for years should recognize the word "We-Mail" for its use for the We-Mail newsletter. The We-Mail idea, of course, is that we hear from each other, as a social network of alums using e-mail...Our mail to each other about news which is then turned into one for all--We-Mail. If a company has trademarked it, then it is legally theirs. But, just for the record, that phrase was one I've been using for journalism alums long before a Google search could find it referenced by others.

I have a few other inventions, concepts and developments--one that's even in fashion, if you could imagine--but maybe I actually should get patents and trademarks before I describe them in words. Inventing is tough work!