On Tuesday, Rob Curley, vice-president of New Media for Washington Post-Newsweek Interactive delivered an interactive presentation to George Mason University Communications Students.

Curley is a professional innovator at the Washington Post, and is the creative force behind the Post's OnBeing, a video interview series that has received much acclaim for its intimate blurbs on what it's like to be human.

OnBeing is a good example of what Curley refers to as a "high-tech return to our roots;" a cutting edge multimedia project with a distinct focus on community. Via this kind of "old school journalism," Curley hopes to re-establish the bond between the Washington Post and its readers.

As far as internet users go, Curley suggests they are drawn to a website for what he calls the Four P's:

- Passions -- Many sites attempt to capture niche audiences based around a particular hobby or interest.

- Practical -- Sites that offer news or "how-to" instruction will almost always have an audience.

- Playful -- Readers want something to escape their work-a-day world; these sites offer such amusement.

- Porn -- Yeah; we all do it.

Curley encourages us to strive for hyper-deep content with multimedia overkill; "if a church in Fairfax were burning down, people would want to see the flames." He reminds us that internet news coverage is a dialogue, not a monologue. The internet allows users to provide feedback, and even to supply their own content when given a platform to do so. Follow Curley's advice, and you too will be "driving with your brights on."