Hi Stef,

Like the video format, but you're going to have to hang up some sheets or something to cut down on the tinny echoes! One of my favourite podcasters records in his wardrobe...

Anyway, From what you're saying it sounds like what you want is an ideafactory wiki. I'm thinking something divided into sections to chart the evolution of ideas - which would start off as embryos (one line twitter entries maybe), but once "released into the wild" could be developed by anyone with the time and inclination. More developed ideas could be promoted to different sections of the site (given a green light by voting maybe?), and you'd have to ensure that credit was given where due so that if anything got past the stage ofjust being an idea full attribution back to the original creators and developers would be traceable. If you included a few tools on the site - whiteboards, chat streams, RSS, twitter input etc. it could turn into something really quite interesting. Maybe you could also use it in a way that would enable people to ask for help and collaborators for their own ideas that they don't have time to develop - I'm just like you, I have loads that I don't know what to do with!

Fancy developing that proto-idea over a pint or two of serendipty sometime?

Karli

Stef

Thanks for asking and I think the video is a good way to get a message out and let people think. Please recap me quickly, what you’ve asked: That ideas should be understandable and make them available at one place. Here is my Sunday brainstorming. Ideas, either good nor bad. Just ideas. Enjoy.

Transform ideas into more transparent content:
Any idea should be transparent and clearly tagged with as much description as possible.
1. Tag them with all senses a human being has: thoughts (word), colors, description of smells and taste, sound and music, visuals etc.
2. The idea needs maybe some requirements (labor, equipment, locations, funding etc.). Add this information to the idea as well.
3. The Idea should have a (clear) outcome, which gives directions and a time frame for it. Add this information as well.
Why all these information? Have you ever visited a dating-online website and filled out all the information they want from you? It’s amazing and makes senses. You want to make sure that the other person, seeking for somebody, knows what it is all about. So the same could be used for ideas. More information are attached to idea, the better it can be processed to do something with it.

I imaging that all these information and tags attached to the idea, are stored in a database. The database is for storage purposes, but not only for storage. I’ll tell you in a second why.

I imagine the GUI (Graphic User Interface), let’s call it “Ether-o-matic”, should be playful, easy, drag-and-drop-style platform, where the user can tag and put all the information needed to make the idea clear and transparent. It is like standing in front of an empty pot in the kitchen and deciding what ingredients I want to put in, mix with etc.

After the user has finished this adding of tags and info to the idea, he gets a good “picture”, what the idea should look, feel, sound like. The end result is a document, which represents the idea and is accessible for everyone. And in the background the database has stored all information and tags to the idea.
Ether-o-matic is accessible via Internet and it is really easy and simple and quick.

Now, the person who entered his idea, could have a physical print out, where his idea is well presented, in all its colors and tags and info. What can he do with that paper? Post-it on his fridge in the kitchen, of course! Why? Every time he gets the milk out of the fridge he can see his idea again and every time maybe his subconscious start to work on it. And suddenly he has got a better idea and get to the internet and plays around with the Ether-o-matic and generates a new idea.

What else can be done with this paper document? I've some thoughts about a flyer, where he/she could print out a resumé of the idea as a flyer and distributing to other stacks of flyer (cultural centers, pubs, record stores, cinemas, festivals, coffee shops) and spread out the idea.
What's on the flyer? Maybe a question to the idea or gap to finish the idea. And the address of the website where the person with the flyer can add his comments and thoughts on the Ether-o-matic. Basically, not only you have your idea online, but physically in the world outside as well. Everyone loves flyer. Easy to grab, easy to distribute and easy to post-it on the fridge. Everyone has a fridge!

This Internet site is accessible for every one. But someone has to maintain this database and do something with it. Now, you should have a core team, who decides, what comes in which channel.
What is a channel? A channel is a virtual basket, where certain ideas have been filtered and concentrated. The purpose of channels is that the core team and the user know the vision/outcome of this channel (or project). This helps to give a certain direction where the project is heading. At the other end of this channel you could define who and when is going to DO something with it.

Basically, Ether-o-matic works like this:
Serendipity has happened -> you enter the idea in an easy and simple way in Ether-o-matic (online) -> and then it is accessible for everyone (online, as paper-docu at fridge or as a flyer in the real world). It’s out there, for further use.
In addition to this Ether-o-matic you’d have all the interactive interfaces, so everyone can comment on thoughts and outcome of ideas and the present channels.
It must be clearly said and defined, that their are certain ideas are acceptable and certain are not. That is were the core team comes in, who decides, what can be published or not.

What else you can do with the database? I’ve read in an interview that the company Interone Worldwide (http://www.interone.de/cms/en/) uses a software, which scans all forums, discussions and blogs for the some major industries and brands. The software finds out, how consumer are aware of a specific brand (positive and negative). This software has been in use already 15 years ago for the pharmacy industry to scan all patent information of all medicines, with all their chemical ingredients, to combine new pharmaceutical products.
Now, what if you could use a similar software (probably an algorithm) to go through all the ideas, tags and info of your Ether-o-matic database to generate some new ideas?

Of course, any user will be aware and properly informed about it, what this Ether-o-matic can do and will do with the information provided.

Cheers
Mehdi

@Mehdi - Wow! I have to say that that must go down as the best blog comment I've ever had!

Okay how about this:

Instead of "Global Ideas Bank" - we make "Local Ideas Bank", where you an attach anything to a google map, starting with a tweet tagged #idea, or any other source with that tag. Then, other users if they like one can flesh it out and take an idea somewhere.

I think combining what you and Karli have said with some input from a few other people we might have a new project on our hands here!

@Karli - let me know when you're free and we'll meet up - I've got a few nights this week free, or you could pop over?

Update - I've just bought localideas.org for the purpose... anyone fancy lending a hand?

What help do you need?

On video: what does it offer, over audio? Remember that video/audio content is not searchable (indeed, not accessible, to some people), unless you offer a transcript. It's also less easily accessed on slow connections, via aggregators, or simply in public places, than text.

Count me in - sounds like a project I'd definitely like to be involved in. Possibly more on the planning / architecture phase for me though as I'm not sure I have a lot of time these days (as ever!).

I've been thinking more about this, and am wondering whether we could do the whole "tags" thing much better than it has been done before. I'd like to see intelligent hierarchies and relationships between tags, possibly dynamically strengthening and weakening relationships, controlled in part by AI and in part by user actions and responses. It should be possible to automatically link related ideas, branch ideas, combine ideas etc. I think - all with a degree of traceability... And I think ideas should have "workspaces" with informal brainstorming "rooms" etc.

I'm also wondering about how this relates to ideas I've had in the past about "antipatents" - would it be possible to use / extend the creative commons scheme so that ideas listed on the site would have a degree of protection against corporate piracy I wonder? Without some sort of security, how do you convince people to expose their ideas to scrutiny? Hmmm...

Anyway, I'll give you a shout soon and we can sort out a meetup sometime!

@Stef Glad to hear that it helped to get started. That's great.
@Karli Brilliant! I think as well that the tagging and combination of them is crucial and makes it interesting.

Some more thoughts I had (some stuff, you know):

From the start of the brainstorming on last Sunday till the finish (to put it on your blog), it took me quite a bit of time to write down an idea. How long did it take for you Stef to get your message on video? I guess quite a bit of time as well, no? (few takes, capture, compress, upload etc.).
I imagine a GUI that you can capture your idea in a much quicker way, much quicker, AND when it is captured and processed another person can read it and understand it, what the idea is all about (even a "rich and deep" ideas). The software not only HELPS to capture your idea more efficient, but as well in the background it does all the connectivity and AI to get stored the things properly.

What do I mean with understanding or "reading" ideas?
Is there a kind of a "language", where you can transcribe your idea in a form, that lots of people or let's say "ideas-reader", can understand the idea quickly and interpret it correctly? An example: It is like "reading" a music score for an orchestra. The (finished) idea (the piece of music) of the composer is represented in the choice of instruments, notes, articulation, length of the work etc. etc. , and the musicians, conductor etc. can read it and understand it. So the same should be possible with ideas, don't you think? That's the vision/outcome of the idea that everyone or trained "idea-reader" can read and understand it, online, on paper or on a flyer. Some people are good in writing, some are good in spoken words, others a better with drawing or sounds. What about if it is possible to invent an "idea-language", where a "complex" brainstorming process can find a good way to the outer world? What about Pictograms? Shapes, Forms etc.?
And the good thing about languages, everyone can learn a new language. Imagine a flyer (or online) full of great and interesting signs, pictograms, words, colors etc. describing your idea. It ends up as a piece of art! And people understand it :-)

The combination of words, pictures, sound, shapes, forms, pictograms could help the "idea-inventor" to get his message out quickly, transparent and easy to catch.

I'll keep looking on your site to see how things are going.

See you
Mehdi

I don't know if having someone in Cardiff will be of any use to you, but I'm really interested in this. Let me know if I can be of any use. I run a network of creative businesses and entrepreneurs so maybe there's a bit of overlap?