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What is ideas4All?
ideas4All is where people with ideas can share them, or change someone’s day, or change the world. It’s where people who need solutions can find them. It’s also where people can browse ideas, surf solutions, and have fun. In short, ideas4All is about connecting. Imagine millions of ideas all running around inside a Global Brain, all interconnecting and working together. It is big, and it is clever. The way it works is this: if you have an idea, tell it to the brain. If you have a problem, well, tell that to the brain too. And if you see an idea and you like it – or think it sucks – vote it up or down, or comment. Or, and this is the really smart thing about ideas4All, if you see an idea that will solve a problem, match them up. Or do all three. It’s up to you. Who is it for? Anyone with ideas which means, basically, everyone. They could be simple ideas – a new design for a doorknob – or sophisticated ideas. You might have had just one small but perfectly formed idea, or perhaps your head is full of them, day in day out. You could have had your idea this morning when you dropped the soap on your foot in the shower. Maybe lots of them happened last night as you drifted off to sleep. If so, you’re an Ideator, and your ideas can live here. You can share them. Or maybe you want recognition for your ideas. Perhaps you think that, one day, they could make money. Or they could make the world a better place. ideas4All is also for people with problems. Perhaps you have an annoying problem that you need to fix. Maybe your door creaks, or you need to reduce the wastage in your area to protect the environment. Or maybe your company needs to solve clean power generation before its competitors. Or it could be that you simply want someone to change the world. If so, you’re a Questor, and you can do something about it, now. ideas4All is an incredibly powerful resource of ideas, of which one, or even many, might just hold the key to solving your problem. But ideas4All is also fun. You can come here to browse ideas4All and, importantly, power it by voicing your opinion on them or cast a vote. You can satisfy your curiosity about, well, things. Stuff. People who browse, vote and comment are Navigators. You can be any combination of Ideator, Questor or Navigator, or even all three. As we said- ideas4All is for everyone – from all, for all. What’s an idea? If you want an official definition, it’s ‘a transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representations.’ At ideas4All we value directness and simplicity, so our own definition could be ‘anything that you think will change someone’s day or change the world.’ Ideas are what we build the Global Brain from. If you have ideas, whether simple or sophisticated, tell them to the brain. What kind of Ideas is ideas4All looking for? Any and all. If you have an idea, tell it to the world through ideas4All. You’ve looked at the world around you and decided it could do better. Or maybe you’ve had that last, final frustration with something and made a vow to change it. It could be a small idea – a new design for a doorknob – or a huge one. You might have had just one small but perfectly formed idea, or perhaps your head is full of them, day in day out. You could have had your idea this morning when you dropped the soap on your foot in the shower. Maybe lots of them happened last night as you drifted off to sleep. Here are some great examples of ideas:
What kind of problems is ideas4All looking for? Any and all. If you have a need, tell it to the world through ideas4All. Perhaps you have an annoying problem that you need to fix. Maybe your door creaks, or your car won’t start in the morning. Perhaps the cat coughs. Here are some more examples:
A company might well find itself with no room to manoeuvre. It knows that if it stays still, the competition will move forward, but it doesn’t know which way to turn. This is an example of a big, corporate problem. Ideas could already exist that solve it. Maybe you could solve it. What is the Global Brain? It’s a metaphor for expressing how people can interact and, by so doing, create a collective intelligence that is great than the sum of its parts. Everything can be connected. Except that, it isn’t. So, every day, millions of ideas just get lost, because people forget them or don’t think they’re worth anything. What a waste. In a world of massive interconnection we’re starting to see interesting effects. When many people think something is cool, and it’s easily shared, they share it. This is a viral effect. The technology of Web 2.0 makes it possible for this effect to emerge. So it is with the Global Brain. Everyone has ideas worth sharing. Any idea can trigger other ideas. That’s how the Global Brain works. Do I retain copyright or intellectual property over my ideas? When you share an idea you have two choices: 1. Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/es/deed.en_US) Under this license, you only retain authorship of the idea, but give away all other rights on it. So you lose the copyright but you get that nice warm feeling inside that comes from sharing. Find out more in our Terms & Conditions page. 2. ideas4all license agreement: retain copyright. In this case you only give ideas4All license to display it. However, it doesn’t stop other people from taking your idea and using it. If you’re concerned about patents then a way around this might be to disclose just the outline of your idea, not all the details. Learn more in our Terms & Conditions page. For a more complete explanation, see our legal page. Why would I just give away my ideas Because you can change someone’s day or change the world! Isn’t that enough? OK, there’s nothing wrong with wanting money for your ideas. If you do want payment for them, then wait, and watch this space. We’re making it so that you can just hint at your idea, and then be matched to people who are prepared to pay, through ideas4All. It’s coming soon. Meanwhile, here are some good reasons for putting your ideas out there: Because you want to share your experiences and ideas. This can produce great effects, both expected and unexpected. It’s just an exciting thing to do. Because there is something you would love to be able to buy or a service you would love to use that is just not available. You do not want to build a business around that idea. You just want to find it done! Because you have spotted a way to improve your community, and want to give that idea exposure, see if it gets validated, and see what happens. Can I report a bug/problem/abuse and/or inappropriate content? Yes. We have a policy that, while broad, does need to be enforced otherwise everything goes wrong. If you think someone has gone way out of line, tell us and we will do something about it. You can click the Abuse icon to do this, or contact us direct. Can I customize which ideas/problems I see? You can look for ideas and problems by category, and by tag. A category is like a folder, which broadly describes ideas or problems. A tag is a way in which you can more accurately described your ideas or problems. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds. RSS is a really cool way of keeping up to date with websites, because instead of going to them, they come to you. To do this, just click the RSS icons whenever you see them. What are the 'Add to favorites' and 'Remove from favorites' buttons for? You know how to have favorites (sometimes called bookmarks) con your web browser, and that these are for storing web pages that you really like? That's what our favorites are for too, but for ideas. So, if you find and idea that you want to come back to in future, click the 'Add to favorites' button and it will be added to your 'My Favorites' list. From then on you can see the idea in your page, by clicking the Personal link at the top of any page on IDEAS4ALL. 'Remove from favorites' just does the opposite - select the idea you want to remove and this button will then remove it. What is the 'Send to a friend button for'? Sometimes you might come across an idea that is perfect for someone you know. They might find it interesting, or useful, or cool - or just funny! In which case, click this button and send it to that friend. What is an Ideator? An Ideator is anyone with ideas – which means, basically, everyone. They could be simple ideas – a new design for a doorknob – or sophisticated ideas. You might have had just one small but perfectly formed idea, or perhaps your head is full of them, day in day out. You could have had your idea this morning when you dropped the soap on your foot in the shower. Maybe lots of them happened last night as you drifted off to sleep. If so, you’re an Ideator, and your ideas can live here. You can share them. Or maybe you want recognition for your ideas. Perhaps you think that, one day, they could make money. Or they could make the world a better place. The main thing is, now you know you are an Ideator, you can do something about it. Any idea can trigger other ideas. Share your ideas with the Global Brain and watch it grow. What is a Questor? A Questor is anyone with problems that they’d like to solve. Perhaps you have an annoying problem that you need to fix. Maybe your door creaks, or you need to reduce the wastage in your area to protect the environment. Or maybe your company needs to solve clean power generation before its competitors.Or it could be that you simply want someone to change the world. If so, you’re a Questor, and you can do something about it, now. ideas4All is an incredibly powerful resource of ideas, of which one, or even many, might just hold the key to solving your problem. All problems can trigger ideas. Share your problems with the Global Brain and solve them. Why the 1,000,000 ideas challenge? It’s a mission! The Million Mission. And it could be a world record, one we think it’s worth attempting. What do one million ideas look like? A city? A novel? A TV programme? A really big brain? There’s only one way to find out. We want to gather one million ideas and contribute to the Global Brain. It’s going to take some time, but by submitting your ideas, you could help create a world record. You will certainly help build the Global Brain and in that, you’re helping everyone, Ideators, Questors and Navigators alike. The Global Brain will love you for it. It’s a vision. Build the Global Brain with your ideas and watch it grow. What is Brain-fu? How do I increase my Brain-fu? Brain-fu is the expression that identifies your contribution to the “Global Brain”. You increase your Brain-fu simply by participating in ideas4all and encouraging your friends to do so as well. The more ideas you post, the greater your Brain-fu will be. The more problems you put forth, the greater your Brain-fu. The more comments you make or votes you give, and also the more friends you invite that register on your behalf.... well, you get the point. That is exactly how it works... But keep an eye on this space; the pointing system can change from time to time. To invite a friend all you have to do is click on Spread the Word, on the top right corner of your screen. From there you'll be able to send out invitations to as many friends as you like. They will all receive your Invitation Code, which they can include, if they wish to do so, when they register. All new users registering with your code will help you increase your Brain-fu. Check our table to find out how many points you can obtain.
What is the Invitation Code? It is a code received by all the friends you invite when you click on Spread the Word, on the top right corner of your screen. By clicking Spread the Word, you will be able to invite as many friends as you like. They will all receive said Invitation Code, which they can enter, if they wish to do so, upon registration. All new users registering with your invitation code will help you increase your Brain-Fu. Check our table to find out how many points you can obtain. What’s the difference between editing an idea and building on an idea? If you edit an idea, you change it. You can fix any typos, add an image or a video, invite more co-Ideators, or maybe expand the explanation.... but it’s still basically the same idea. But if you build on an idea, you take that idea and use it as the basis of yours – that is, it is your new idea based on the old one. You might see an idea and feel inspired to take it further, or point it in a new direction. That’s what building is. That’s how you help build the Global Brain. Why are ideas presented as solutions to problems that do not seem to solve them? Because you’re not the only person looking at that problem! ideas4All is from all, for all. So someone, somewhere, has seen that idea as a solution to the problem. Look again: all may become clear. Satisfy your curiosity! Can ideas get rejected, deleted or removed? First of all, understand that there’s no such thing as a bad idea, or a stupid idea. ideas4All is a democracy, from all for all, so any and all ideas are valid. So, we don’t reject or delete ideas. However, whereas ideas4All has a broad policy it does need to be followed, otherwise all hell breaks loose, right? Chances are your idea was just too far away from the policy. Take a look at the policy and see where you might have gone wrong. And if you really do feel you’ve been unfairly treated, let us know. How does the voting work? It’s as simple as voting whether you think an idea is good, or bad. Just click the icons. Why did my idea go down? You know how on those adverts for investments, they say the value can go down as well as up? It’s the same with ideas. Don’t take it personally. They just didn’t see what you saw in it. They could be wrong! Also, your idea could have stayed the same – it’s just that other ideas came along that went up! It’s all relative. Try again. How do I block a user’s comment? You cannot block a user comment. You can report abuse, if you think a comment is out of line. Just let us know. Can you explain the “suggested for” and the “dedicated to” fields? Ideas can spring from anywhere and be totally random. But they can also be ideal for someone, whether a person, a company or even an entire industry. If you think your ideas could be useful, tell the Global Brain about it in the ‘Suggested for’ field. Let’s take two examples of ideas we mentioned above. If there’s a scuba diving manufacturer you have in mind for the air level supply indicator, add its name. If you think someone has the expertise to set up the traffic information site, list them. ‘Dedicated to’ is a bit more fun. If you’ve got a great idea for a cat flap, dedicate it to your cat. If it’s going to make your mother’s life easier, dedicate it to her. They’ll be delighted. What is a co-Ideator? Ideators are everywhere, and they don’t necessarily roam the streets at night alone. Sometimes you could have an idea with someone. Remember that great idea you had with your friends in the bar last night? Give them the credit too. They’re your co-Ideators. All you have to do is invite them when you create the idea, and they can join in the party. What is the target of the category BAD IDEAS 4 ALL? All of us know somebody who had an idea which seemed good, but was a disaster once implemented. The idea resulted in a very bad one; even a hazardous one for the poor creator… But these “bad ideas” are, most of the times, “good stories”, or great learning, or experiences which are good to know that should not be repeated…These are the BAD IDEAS within the category BAD IDEAS 4 ALL. Just one example: one friend tried to free a ship run aground, pulling the keel…his hand was caught under the keel, and he almost drowned. Definitely, a BAD IDEA for freeing a ship which has run aground… And why we open this new category? Because many of you have suggested doing so, and we thought it is a great idea! |
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