Microsoft open sources NewsPad Editor program, now everyone can really contribute

We don’t often associate the words “Microsoft” and “open source”, but the company does more than the general media gives credit for. Today the Redmond-based company takes another step, as its Fuse Labs (a research arm) announces a new app being offered out to the community.

NewsPad Editor is a brand new concept that allows groups of people to communicate in building a story. “The software, which supports real-time collaborative editing and content curation, incorporates the best ideas from Wikipedia, Storify, and online text editors”, the company announces.

The idea is to combat the usual content systems which are designed for one writer. It was created after consultation with bloggers in the Seattle area, and the interviews revealed that many writers felt overwhelmed with more stories than they could possibly cover.

“NewsPad also incorporates lessons from the network structure of local communities. During the summer, as we built NewsPad, we were also learning from research by Shelly Farnham and Emma Spiro to map out local Twitter networks, in combination to deep qualitative research on the health and information resources of Seattle’s communities. By comparing Seattle neighborhoods’ Twitter networks to blogging networks, we were able to identify patterns of interaction and information access across dozens of Seattle neighborhoods”, the announcement states.

You can find out more information, and get your hands on the app by following the link below.