Brainstorm Nashville FAQs
Why did we decide to do this?
Based on conversations with community groups, government leaders, churches, grassroots organizations and others, we saw a need for a common brainstorming and collaboration platform allowing groups to connect more efficiently. We felt we offered a unique ability to accomplish this based on the size of our reach, engagement of our audience, and our ability to moderate and offer context through a journalistic approach.
What is the newspaper's role?
Context: Ideas are informed through links to original Tennessean reporting as well as quality external resources curated by our editors.
Distribution: Through digital and print publishing, we reach a large and growing audience of engaged, well-connected people in the greater Nashville / Middle Tennessee community.
Connection: Our digital editors are trained to moderate conversations and connect people, ideas and opportunities. Our software is designed to make it easy for them and others.
How are the topics chosen?
Topics are chosen by the newspaper, working in concert with community leaders. Topics are based on community interest, news relevance, and appropriateness for this platform. We chose “Childhood Obesity” as a launch topic because we know the issue to be one of much importance to many groups in Middle Tennessee. Our intention is to add new topics as we build our Brainstorm community and get a sense for what drives passion and action among its members.
Is this part of the newspaper.com or is it a standalone site?
It's part of the newspaper.com. It's concepts are in keeping with our mission as a community leader and public servant. Moreover, we need our newspaper.com reach to accomplish the mission of the Brainstorm concept.
Is Brainstorm moderated?
Yes. The overall project is moderated by Tennessean Social Media Director Erin Cubert in concert with Director of Online Content Karen-Lee Ryan and Senior Digital Editor Knight Stivender. As Brainstorm Nashville grows in scope, our plan is to work with key community members and institutions to moderate topic channels within the site. Please contact us if you are interested in such an opportunity.
Are users anonymous?
No. Users must log in through Facebook Connect in order to participate. We are adding new ways to log in as we develop the site, but they will always require an identity.
How will Brainstorm encourage thoughtful conversation and action?
Brainstorm Nashville illustrates progress through a weighted system of user points. User ideas are rewarded more heavily than simple comments. User actions are rewarded most highly. As users accumulate points, their endorsement of other users weight those users' contributions more highly as well. As users work together to accomplish projects, that work is reflected with statistics showcased throughout the site.
