Odd connections that can make an interesting story

From the "Honestly, honey, I was just doing some online research" Department.

I get a regular news feed from the Reuters "Oddly Enough" section. It's usually good for a laugh to read about how the South African president is having wives problems -- will they have "first lady status -- or how French police are investigating reports of a pickpocket on a Tokyo-Paris Air France flight.

One story that really caught my eye this week -- and one that might be fun to investigate to see if a similar trend is happing now in the States -- is Snowed-In Brits boost adultery website.

Seems IllcitEncounters.com gained more than 2,500 new members in just one week this month. Most from areas hardest hit by the extreme weather in the United Kingdom.

"In light of these figures, I'd be interested to see how much work those 'working from home' have actually done," IlicitEncounters.com spokeswoman Sara Hartley said in a statement.

"Perhaps these wives and husbands have just been waiting for a time when they could join, away from the eyes of their work colleagues and, most importantly, their partners..."

I have always argued before my students that story ideas can come from anywhere. All a journalist needs is curiosity and a creative mind. And, in a time of massive layoffs in our industry, a journalist who can write compelling and interesting stories has a better chance of surviving than the one who writes well but only follows the standard beats.

So, anyone up for looking to see how similar U.S.-based porn sites are doing during this nasty January?

Honestly, it is all for story research!