Social Networking Tool: Brainstorming - Getting Creative Ideas Out into the Open to Find a Suitable Domain Name Part 1

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Thursday, 10 February 2011 16:00

James Roughton Brainstorming - KeyWord Research

Wikipedia

co-Author, Nathan Crutchfield

Brainstorming - Keyword Research

When doing search engine optimization keyword research, many web development experts tell us that we must create a list of targeted keywords by “brainstorming” for ideas. Brainstorming is an excellent tool that can be used by teams to quickly collect a wide array of ideas from a group of individuals. The problem is that these web development experts assume that everyone knows how to do brainstorming and never tell us how to hold an effective brainstorming session.

Brainstorming can be compared to a summer thunderstorm. Instead of a quickly passing, heavy deluge of rain accompanied by thunder and lightning, a brainstorming session develops a rapid deluge of ideas accompanied by a sense of intense group energy. The brainstorming tool is useful when you want to generate a large number of ideas about issues to tackle, possible causes of problems, approaches to use, or actions to take. It helps groups break free of old and/or ineffective ideas and habitual thinking. This free-wheeling technique may produce ideas that really seem half-baked at first (“where is he/she coming from with that?”) but can lead to new and original ideas and/or solutions to problems.

Brainstorming techniques open the creative gate for the collections of ideas, concepts, and issues that can be used to address specific problems or questions that have resisted solution. The resulting collection of thoughts, like storm water, can be funneled, further sifted and rank ordered in a logical manner for further consideration of the problem solving team and eventual use.

So Where do I Start?

First find a point of beginning. Start the process by determining what you think might be your ideal domain name. If you are having difficulty in determining a name, use the dictionary and thesaurus on your computer and play with words. This may or may not be the final name and is just an anchor point for beginning.
Second, enlist friends, family and colleagues into a brainstorming session.

Third, use brainstorming rules to guide you through what can be a deluge of creative thoughts and ideas that can energize and motivate you with prioritized action planning that can improve your situation. These rules are discussed later.

Finally, Using the concepts of brainstorming, generate as many words and combinations of words related to that ideal name. Bounce these off of your friends, family, and anyone that will patiently listen to you and get more ideas.

Essential Environment

As I have always been told, “There are no dumb ideas,” however, setting the stage for a brainstorming session requires overcoming the fear of criticism or embarrassment. I have seen brainstorming sessions that developed numerous ideas as well as seen them crash when the facilitator criticized an idea and failed to remain neutral when gathering ideas.

Before beginning a brainstorming session, it is imperative to establish the environment and structure that starts the process of creating a list of unfiltered thoughts and potentially useful concepts. The key essential ingredient for successful brainstorming is to provide and assure a stress-free environment which allows for creative and unrestricted exploration of options or solutions.
Any and all responses (the “brain”) are to be initially accepted by the group facilitator regardless of how off the wall, inane or, dare we say it, as stupid they may sound. When brainstorming is done is this type of environment, a sense of energy (the “storm”) can be developed that dramatically increases the creativity of the group.

The Benefits of Brainstorming

The following outline provides a basic overview of the benefits of brainstorming:

Creativity - Encourages individuals to expand their thinking to include all aspects of a potential issue or question. Brainstorming helps the team identify a wide range of options.
All team members involved - Provides an equal opportunity for team members to get involved in the process. It offers a non-judgmental environment where everyone is encouraged to offer ideas.
Decisions and Ownership - By having all team members actively participate in the process; it fosters a sense of ownership in the topic discussed and in the resulting activities. When the individuals on a team contribute personally to the direction of a decision, they are more likely to buy into the project and support the process.
Rapidly produces a large number of ideas - By encouraging individuals to offer ideas that come to mind, it helps to develop many ideas quickly. Again, the analogy is that of an intense electrical storm with heavy rain!
Input to other tools - With many ideas being generated, you may want to use an affinity diagram approach to organize the ideas. The affinity diagram is a tool that allows a team to gather large amounts of information (ideas, opinions, issues) and/or data collected and organizes the material into groupings based on their natural relationships. We plan on discussing affinity diagrams in another post.

In part 1 we discussed the essential environment and the benefits of brainstorming and how you can get the creative juices flowing. In part 2 we will discuss establishing basic ground rules for brainstorming.

References:

Brassard, M. (1988). The Memory Jogger, a Pocket Guide of Tools for Continuous Improvement, p. 69. Methuen, MA: GOAL/QPC
Department of the Navy (November 1992). Fundamentals of Total Quality Leadership (Instructor Guide), pp. 6-20 - 6-24. San Diego, CA: Navy Personnel Research and Development Center
Scholtes, P.R., et al (1988). The Team Handbook, pp. 2-37 - 2-39. Madison, WI: Joiner Associates
U.S. Coast Guard Process Improvement Guide