I’ve been holding back on an update in order to have more information to share with everyone about the IdeaStorm 2.0 project. We have recently completed preliminary meetings on the project which includes, but is not limited to: a refreshed user interface, revamping the idea process, adding functionality and creating a program for our most active members. Since I started as a regular site user before taking over the running of the site, I’m especially excited that to have the opportunity to help shape the future of the site. Today I’d like to give you a small look into just a few of the things we have planned.
Archiving:
One of the things we’ve heard consistently from the community over the years has been to cull the outdated / unactionable ideas from the site. As a way to address this issue we recently held a storm session on the archiving of ideas in order to clear them from the site. Several different criteria for archival were discussed revolving around how many points ideas had received over a 6-month period. During the discussions the same though kept reappearing from site members: if Dell isn’t going to use the idea, why keep it on the site? As a result we are planning on using the following criteria for idea archival: Any idea that is over 6 months old and has not been given the status of “Under Review”, “Implemented” or “Partially Implemented” will be archived off of the main site into a separate repository. We had considered keeping ideas with the status of “Not Planned” staying on the main site but ultimately we understand that situations change over time and something that is not planned now could be reviewed again in the future. Once an idea is archived we will accept a new version of the idea on the site to start the process anew. If multiple versions of the idea are submitted we will merge them all into the first Idea on the topic.
User Interface:
In order to bring the site more up to date we are also working on refreshing the overall look of the. One key thing to highlight is a new home page that will mix featured content along with a few ideas from the different sections of the site such as: Recent Ideas and Trending ideas. Over time we have found that many people visit the home page, vote on ideas but do not venture further into the site. Hopefully the new home page design will not only be more visibly attractive but also entice users to explore the site further.
IdeaStorm Rockstars:
The Rockstar program from the Dell Community forums is being adapted to IdeaStorm as well. For those who are not familiar, the Rockstar program is Dell’s way of recognizing highly active individuals on the site that meet specific criteria. These individuals are given a specialized avatar to differentiate them from regular site members, a private forum to interact more closely with Dell and some moderation ability (overseen by the site moderator) after completing specialized training.
These are just a few of the changes we have planned for IdeaStorm, stay tuned for further announcements and storm sessions around the 2.0 project in the near future.
Lastly, the IdeaStorm team wishes you a very happy holiday season and a wish for a great 2012.