The Ideas tool lets your community quickly provide their views and suggestions for your project. Participants can add and vote on ideas, allowing you to unpack priorities for your community and understand what's important to engaged community members.
Add Ideas to Your Project
You can create an Ideas board using the Tool Builder. The new Tool Builder interface gives admins granular control over the capabilities of the Ideas tool and streamlines the tool creation process.
To create an Ideas board:
Select Add a tool on your project page.
Select Ideas from the Tools list to open the Tool Builder.
Use the Title field to enter a name for the Ideas board.
You can use the Permalink field to set the Title as the tool's standalone URL or enter a different Permalink.
Select Save to see the tool preview. You must add a Title and Permalink before saving, and the preview will update each time you Save as you build the tool.
Add a Description using the text editor. This is a good place to educate your community on how they can engage with the tool, and to provide information about voting if you're using this feature.
Enter an Archival message to display on the board after the tool has been archived.
Use the device controls in the preview window to switch between the mobile, desktop, and tablet views, allowing you to see what your tool will look like on all devices.
When you're ready, use the status drop-down menu to Publish your tool or select the X button to exit the Tool Builder.
In the tool tab on the project page, you can also:
Select the Ideas board Title or the Edit button to reopen the Tool Builder.
Use the status drop-down to Publish, Unpublish, or Archive an Ideas board.
Select the Schedule button to schedule the publish date for a draft tool, or schedule the archive date for a published tool. If you're scheduling the archive date, you can add an Archival message in the Info tab of the Tool Builder.
Select Preview to see the full-screen version of the tool preview.
Select Share to retrieve an embed code or iframe to embed the tool's engagement banner in an external site.
Select Delete to permanently remove the tool; you can only do this if there are no submissions.
Drag and drop multiple ideas boards to reorder them on your project page.
Tool Builder Settings
The settings available in the Tool Builder are:
Allow unverified participation: Toggle this on to allow unregistered users to post ideas using an email and screen name.
Allow comments: Enable this to allow participants to comment on their own and other user's ideas.
Allow photo upload: Allow participants to upload an image for their idea post. If this is off, participants can still select a color background for their idea.
Allow voting: Toggle this on to enable the thumbs-up icon that users can select to vote or like an idea. Enabling this allows you to also:
Limit amount of votes: Enter the maximum amount of votes each participant can cast.
Limit dates for voting: Enter the start and end date and time for a scheduled voting period.
Email notifications and acknowledgements: Choose who receives notifications when an idea is posted. By default, all users are notified if someone comments on their idea.
Notify participant: Check this box to ensure participants receive an acknowledgement email when they post an idea.
Notify admins: Check this box to enter the Email addresses of admins or external users who will be notified when a new idea is posted.
Schedule a Voting Period
When an admin chooses to Allow voting, they can also choose when participants will be able to vote. When you toggle on the Limit dates for voting, you'll be able to use the date pickers to choose a Start date and an End date.
Admins can create a voting-only board by posting ideas as an admin and setting the Start date for voting and the publish date as the same. Participants will only be able to vote for or like the admin ideas. You can also enter a maximum number of votes per participant using the Limit amount of votes setting.
When dates for voting are in place, automatic messages will display letting participants know when idea posting and voting periods will end.
Share the Ideas Board
When you select the Share button, you can retrieve code snippets to share your ideas tool on another site. Using this feature, you can improve your reach in the community, encouraging participants to engage with your site. There are two options:
Add to webpage: Use an embed code to embed the ideas tool onto a webpage.
Add iFrame: Use an iframe to embed the ideas tool onto a webpage that doesn't support in-line script.
