ABOUT IDEASTORM:

In 1984, Michael Dell had $1000 and an unprecedented idea – bypass the middleman and sell custom-built PCs directly to customers. This idea led to the creation of what is now Dell Inc. and the birth of Dell’s direct model. Twenty three years later, we believe more than ever that the best way to understand and serve our customers is to talk to you directly, wherever you may be located. The only difference between 1984 and 2007 is that we now have millions of global customers in more than 100 countries.

It is with this mindset that we created IdeaStorm. The name is a take-off on the word “brainstorm” and it is our way of building an online community that brings all of us closer to the creative side of technology by allowing you to share ideas and collaborate with one another. The goal is for you, the customer, to tell Dell what new products or services you’d like to see Dell develop. We hope this site fosters a candid and robust conversation about your ideas.

Our commitment is to listen to your input and ideas to improve our products and services, and the way we do business. We will do our best to keep you posted on how Dell brings customer ideas to life. Welcome and enjoy IdeaStorm!

TIPS:

Registration

• New user registration is moderated to authenticate email addresses and prevent inappropriate usernames. When you register, you will receive a notice that your registration is in moderation. Moderation of new user requests helps control spam and the occurrence of duplicate users.
• Please register with a unique, valid email address and a username that does not include “dell” in the name.

Posting an Idea

• First, use the search function to check if your idea, or something close to it, is already posted on IdeaStorm.
• If you don’t see a similar idea on the site, click “Suggest an Idea” and draft up your idea. Be sure to create a specific and descriptive title and do not include your contact information (since that can often appear to be an advertisement). You can include links to a website or picture only if it helps to illustrate your idea.
• After drafting the idea, select up to three categories for your idea. Too many categories limits the ability of the community – and Dell - to identify and follow the ideas.
• Before you publish your idea, our duplicate suggestion feature will bring up several ideas related to your idea’s topic. This final check is to make certain that your idea is not already on the site.
• After posting, check back with IdeaStorm to see what the community has to say – you can look at your user dashboard on the front page to see your “recent replies”.

User Dashboard

• Your user dashboard page can be accessed after logging in and clicking on your username in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.
• The dashboard includes statistics on the number of ideas you have submitted, voted on, commented on and saved. The page also shows the latest community activity on your ideas and the ideas on which you have voted or commented.
• In the “account detail” tab, you can change your password or the email you registered with. To date, the only reason we needed to use email addresses was to contact users for recognition opportunities.

Report Abuse

• Community members have the opportunity to help police IdeaStorm by reporting abuse on posted ideas and comments. This helps promote the open community nature of the site and allows the community to alert moderators about specific issues.
• When you flag a post for abuse, please use the comment field to specify what the abuse is (duplicate idea or terms of use violation) and any other relevant information. If there has been a Terms of Use violation, be sure to identify what the violation is (profanity, attacking another user, advertising, etc.). Click here for a list of TOU violations.
• When reporting a duplicate idea, please include a link to the original idea in the comment section of the report abuse function so the moderators can address the idea in a timely manner. Moderators will post a comment prior to merging duplicate ideas to give the community a heads up and a chance to weigh in.
• The Report Abuse function should not be used to request removal of someone else’s ideas. If a post contains abuse, please report it. But, only Idea Authors can request their post be removed.

Navigating the Site

• Popular Ideas: contains ideas that are most recently popular with the community. They are not listed in order of the highest total points first, but rather, the order takes into account how recently the idea was voted up. When someone votes for an idea, it moves higher on the page.
• Recent Ideas: ordered by 'most recently posted'. When an idea is first submitted, it also appears at the top of the “Recent Ideas” section. To discover good ideas to bump up to “Popular Ideas”, go through the “Recent Ideas” section to see what's available.
• Ideas in Action: lists and describes all the ideas submitted by the community that have been, or are being implemented, as a result of IdeaStorm. It includes a link back to the original idea.
• Talk with the Moderator: our new moderator blog, launched on October 30, 2007. This blog lives on Direct2Dell and allows IdeaStorm community members to communicate with the IdeaStorm site manager and moderator, and comment on new features, functionality, and other relevant community topics.
• Terms of Use: provides the specific policies related to IdeaStorm.

For more tips from other community members, click here.

FAQ:

Do I need to be a Dell customer to use IdeaStorm?

You do not need to be a Dell customer to browse ideas and comments posted on IdeaStorm. And anyone can register on the site in order to post, promote, and comment on ideas. To sign in, enter your username and password in the boxes provided. First-time visitors will be required to create a screen name for use on IdeaStorm. You will be required to use a valid email address when you register.

How can I tell Dell is listening?

IdeaStorm is revolutionary in part because it offers a transparent, fast way to close the loop with you and lets you know what we have done with your idea. Our response rates, and the time it takes to respond, are always improving as we listen and evaluate ideas. It takes time to assess what all this feedback means, and take action on that feedback, but we are always working on it. Look for Dell employees joining the conversation. Dell executives and managers will monitor IdeaStorm to gauge which ideas are most important and most relevant to you. We’ve given a Dell logo to Dell employees on the site that are providing updates and feedback in an official capacity. Occasionally, we will weigh in on an ongoing discussion or ask for additional input on an idea. We continue to encourage more employees to join the conversation. Check out the comments from employees like richard_b, hope_l, sean_m, john_p, tommy_l, bryant_h, sean_d, tim_t, jeff_d, john_h, laura_t, richard_m and several others. More are on the way!

Is IdeaStorm moderated?

Ideas and comments on IdeaStorm are not moderated prior to posting. The site manager and moderators retroactively remove postings that violate the Terms of Use. We will do our best to respond to comments – where appropriate – in a reasonable timeframe. Similar to the moderation of other Dell communities, there will be no tolerance for profanity. IdeaStorm has a filter for profanity, and users who attempt to post ideas or comments that include profanity will be prevented from doing so, until they remove the profanity. Repeated violations will result in warning to the user and possible banning from the site.

How does the scoring work?

Every time you promote an idea, the score on the idea is bumped up by 10 points. And when an idea is demoted, it loses 10 points. This score indicates how well-liked the idea is. The more well-liked the idea, the higher on the "Popular Ideas” page it goes. However, as the ideas get older, they move lower down on the page. The combination of these forces decides how the ideas are ranked in the "Popular Ideas” section.

Can I post a specific comment on an idea?

Yes. To post a comment to an idea, just click on the “comment” link under the idea, and enter your comment in the text box that pops up.

What kinds of ideas and comments can I submit?

We welcome your ideas and comments that will help Dell improve our products and services, and the way we do business. Inappropriate material may be taken down at any time. We ask that you discuss ideas in a collegial manner. Please review the Terms of Use for more information on the rules of conduct for material posted to IdeaStorm.

How can I get people to notice my idea?

The content must be interesting and relevant to other community members and Dell customers. Once you have an interesting idea, it is important to have a compelling title and a good summary. If the title doesn't catch people’s attention, they'll never know that the idea was great.

How do I get an idea to the front page of IdeaStorm?

When an idea is submitted, it appears on the “Recent Ideas” tab. People vote on ideas in this section to increase the ideas' scores. As an idea's score goes up, it moves higher in the "Popular Ideas” section. If the score is high enough, it will appear on the front page.

Will I be compensated if my idea is implemented by Dell or another company?

At this time, there are no material rewards associated with IdeaStorm. Please see the Terms of Use for more information.

I have a suggestion/comment for this site. How do I get in touch with you?

Click on the “Talk with the Moderator” button and post a comment on the moderator's blog. If you have a specific suggestion related to IdeaStorm site improvements, feel free to post an idea on IdeaStorm and tag it with the IdeaStorm category.

How do I delete or edit one of my ideas?

To request that an idea of yours be deleted, just click the Report Abuse link on the idea and state in the report field "delete idea." Moderators check the reported abuses several times a day and will review the post. Ultimately the decision to remove a post is up to the moderators. If a moderator decides that a post is appropriate for removal, the moderator will confirm with the Idea Author via an email. To edit one of your ideas, use the same Report Abuse link to inform the moderators what needs to be changed.