Community Guidelines

Crainstorm runs on peer reviews. Following each brainstorm, the host will have the chance to provide feedback on contributors, and contributors can provide feedback on the host. These reviews determine your user rating. Hosts with high ratings are more likely to attract top contributors, and contributors with high ratings are more likely to be accepted into brainstorms.

Here are some tips on earning a high user rating as a host and as a contributor..

Good Host Guide

Crainstorm’s highest-rated hosts are nice people who provide helpful background info, start the brainstorm on time and have a clear goal of what they’d like to get from the session.

Set an objective

You can use Crainstorm

Provide helpful background info

Context about your challenge

Info on your audiences or goals

Reference material

You should be able to get all the info you need on a single, 8.5 by 11 page (Junior high essay style: 12 pt font, 1 in margin)

Provide helpful background info

Context about your challenge

Info on your audiences or goals

Reference material

You should be able to get all the info you need on a single, 8.5 by 11 page (Junior high essay style: 12 pt font, 1 in margin)

Let good ideas live

Most brainstorms go through a common cycle: dump, slows down, weird stuff, good stuff. Need to be supportive and collaborative to get to the good stuff. Try not to evaluate ideas too early. Whittling is for later. Crainstorm time is for generation. Don’t get frustrated by the weird stuff. It’s just part of the process. Be comfortable in a period of uncomfortableness. It doesn’t mean the brainstorm is bad, it’s just part of the process. Soon, the weird stuff will start to connect back to the objective in a surprisingly insightful way, and then you know you’re onto the good stuff.

Remove bad contributors quickly

You can remove contributors in the first 10 minutes of the brainstorm with compensating them. Do this if they are contributing in an offensive way or if they have a bad Internet connection

Good Contributor Guide

Do the prep

Crainstorm’s highest-rated contributors are nice people who arrive at the session on time, prepared to contribute and looking professional.

Once you’ve been accepted into a brainstorm, do any prep required for the session. Login to Crainstorm, click on My Brainstorms and then Brainstorms I’m Attending to view the brainstorm details. Read the background info, check out the reference materials and gather your initial questions and ideas.

Look like a pro

You can enter the brainstorm room 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. Use this prep time to make sure your speakers, microphone and camera are working. Double check that you have a reliable internet connection. Check your surroundings to make sure the environment is well-lit and not too noisy. Check yourself to make sure you’re looking sharp.

Act like a pro

When the brainstorm starts, the host will outline their goals for the session. They may want you to generate ideas to solve a challenge, or they may want to bounce ideas off of you and get your feedback. Stick to the plan to make sure the host gets the input they need. It’s a good idea to check in with the host part way through the brainstorm and ask, “Are you getting what you need from this Crainstorm?”

Be nice

Be sure to contribute to the session, and be careful not to talk over others. Give everyone a chance to share their thoughts. Honest and constructive feedback will be the biggest help to the host.

Creativity requires vulnerability. So do don’t make anyone feel dumb, and don’t criticize their ideas. Remember that the host has the power to remove any contributor within the first 10 minutes, and the removed person will not be paid for their time.

Learn more about contributing to brainstorms on Crainstorm