There is presently a huge amount of energy
expended
in arguing various points of view over the internet.
These arguments may often end in novel ideas and
useful statements about the world. However they're
never ever taken seriously because they lack rigor
and
aren't undertaken by people
with the right initials
after their names.
This internet forum would attempt to distill various
internet arguments into a high-quality journal of
science.
As people create, revise, and bicker over various
topics, and statements containing links to peer-
reviewed journals would be automatically be culled.
A
computer would be assigned the task of deciding
whether the linked journal actually supported the
argument.
When enough similar and high-quality statements
about a particular topic were collected they would
be
automatically compiled into a paper and the paper
published. Published papers would be prominently
displayed for users to begin bickering over again.
In this way the common man can contribute
meaningfully to man's knowledge of the universe in
his
spare time.
This is different from Wikipedia in that people
wouldn't get to pick and choose and change papers.
The only consideration would be whether claims are
well supported.