Richmond Brainstorm

One of the recurring pieces of feedback we've gotten in the first few days of the site's operation is appreciation for having an online brainstorming space that is positive and forward-looking in its tone.  This was intentional - RichmondBrainstorm.com is meant to be a place for creative energy and inspiration.  We know that as we talk about the future of our community, there certainly is a place for expressing our concerns, fears, disappointments and frustrations, and we know that some of the ideas posted here will even arise out of some sense of frustration with the current state of things.  But the hope for this space is that we can keep it geared toward "what's possible," instead of "what's wrong."

Here are a few suggestions for how to do that as you submit ideas and comments:

• Before typing out your idea or comment, ask yourself, "am I contributing something that moves us forward?"   If you see a problem, are you suggesting a viable solution in a helpful way?   If you find that your contribution is not going to move things forward (or worse, that it may hold us back), consider finding a different way to phrase it.
• Feel free to disagree, but don't attack.  There's no expectation that every idea here will seem useful to you, and there may be some you outright disagree with.  You're welcome to find opportunities for dialog in that disagreement, or just choose to move on to the next idea.
• Come with an open mind.  We hope you encounter ideas here that you haven't before, and that you allow yourself to be open to what they might mean for the community.  If everyone on the site can do that for each other, it opens up a lot of possibilities for new kinds of conversations and action.

If you have other suggestions for how to keep this a positive space, feel free to post them in the comments below.  Thanks!