We here at StoryTrax are newshounds. None of us are addicted to the 24-7 news cycle, but we all check in at least once or twice a day to see what's going on in our world. We have a variety of viewpoints and perspectives, and that makes our discussions around the office quite lively and, generally, lots of fun. We are united by our love of a good story, particularly those that make a difference.

Despite our differences, we share a frustration with what passes for "news" on any given day. Some celebrity cuts their hair, breaks up with a partner, has a baby, gets arrested, or has some other kind of personal crisis and it bogs down the news for weeks. Who's winning on American Idol? Just catch the news to find out. Meanwhile, our nation is engaged in a war that has our troops in harm's way halfway around the world. Congress and the President are squabbling about our budget, and all we hear are the partisan sound bites. Is it any wonder that much of the rest of the world thinks that all Americans are rich, superficial bullies?

We are convinced that by providing a platform where people can share their stories, we can show each other, and the world, that we so much more than how we are portrayed in the media and on the news. That most of us are pretty well grounded and have interests that go far beyond the bad behavior of celebrities. We can show that we have a profound interest in what's going on around us and around the world. Most importantly, we can show that we don't all take ourselves TOO seriously, and that it is through our own stories that we can start to reach the hearts and minds of our fellow Americans and the world. That's a big job, but from what we've seen so far, we're building a community of pretty smart and interesting folks who sincerely care about a lot of things.

So, now it's your turn. What do you think? Can StoryTrax really change the world for the better?