why would i just give away my ideas?

you shouldn’t. your ideas are valuable and no one understands that more than us.

if you’ve got a great idea and you’d like to take the time and effort to develop that idea into your own business or sell it to an existing business, then more power to you! we’re entrepreneurs too, and we understand how engaging and satisfying working on your own idea can be.

but, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, it’s a long road. so long in fact that most great ideas never make it out of peoples’ heads. this is unfortunate because we could all benefit from the great ideas out there. this is why we created kluster, to get ideas out of heads and into the world… where they belong.

have a great idea on how to make an existing product better? major brand names are here, listening to your ideas. you could help them finally get that product right.

have a new concept but not sure how to proceed or don’t have the resources to start on your own? start a bootstrapped project and get help from other users developing that idea. your interactions could attract the attention of backers here that will bid on your concept.

but the main reason we’re all here: to push ideas forward

how do i get compensated for my work?

there are several ways you’ll get compensated for your participation on kluster.

first, when organizations run projects on kluster they have the option of offering a cash reward for those that help solve their problems. the amount of the reward is announced before the project is started so there are no surprises. the reward is shared among all users that participated in the graduating spark based upon their stake is in that spark. that is to say, if you help in any way with the idea that finally gets selected you will get a piece of the reward based upon the amount of work you did.

second, if you start a bootstrapped project on kluster (or help develop a bootstrapped project started by another user) that idea can be bid on by anyone that wants to take that idea to market. that bid can be accepted or rejected. if accepted, all users that have helped that project will share in the payment based upon their stake.

what kind of ideas is kluster looking for?

we like all ideas that are positive and engaging. kluster is a place to develop your product, event, social, commercial, environmental, and political ideas.

so, is this just like a forum or bulletin board?

not really. kluster allows people to actually work together, solve problems, and make decisions. the unique process of sparking and amping allows users to interact not just react. unlike forum boards you can communicate in any media you want, not just text. also, the kluster algorithm constantly compiles and sorts the best ideas so you don’t have to sort through millions of posts to find the valuable sparks. we allow the best ideas to be heard, not just the loudest.

what if i want to start my own project?

go for it. but, maybe search around a little first to see if there isn’t already a similar project running that you can help with. this is your best chance of success and getting rewarded for your efforts.

what is a watt? how do i earn them?

the watt is the internal currency of kluster. we use the watt to reward you for your work and allow you to show your support for others’ ideas. the watt has no fixed “real world” value, but your proportional stake in any successful spark will be used to calculate your share of any cash reward that is offered by the project administrator.

watts can be earned by seizing opportunities, investing wisely, filling out your portfolio, ad inviting new users.

who owns the ip (intellectual property)?

any protectable content that is posted into your project becomes the property of the project administrator once that spark graduates, or an amp gets validated. sparks and amps that don’t graduate remain the property of their original author.

what does this mean? this means that when you run a project you get to retain full control of any ip that may exist. but, it is up to you to validate that you actually have the right to use content that is posted to your project.

what keeps my competition from stealing the ideas in my project?

in a word: nothing. in another word: everything.

yes, running a project on kluster opens you up as an organization, and it is possible for your competitors to see what you’re doing. if that’s really something that won’t fly for your particular project, then maybe it’s not right for kluster, and we’re ok with that. but, in most cases it can actually be safer to be public than to be secretive. there are a few reasons for this.

first, if you put your development information out there you are essentially staking your claim in that idea before all your competitors.

second, the speed of the kluster development process is incredible. we have been amazed in our previous open source development stages how quickly we went from problem, through concept, to production. efficiently harnessing the power of this many brains makes short work of tough problems, much shorter work than your competition will be able to make of it. harness the kluster masses and watch your competition struggle to keep up with your pace.

third, the moment you put your project on kluster and promote it you are making it known to the media and your consumers that this is your idea. any other brands that come out with a similar product will be seen as imitators, the sincerest form of flattery. by engaging your consumers in the development process you give them a sense of ownership of the project, and a sense of belonging to your brand. that type of loyalty cannot be bought. it can only be earned through mutual respect, the kind of respect that is show by sincerely asking your consumers for help and responding to their ideas. these brand loyal users are the most effective responders to copycat competitors. they bring the type of pressure that legal protections often don’t, consumer dollars. we have had great success with this type of brand protection with our previous products. we didn’t have the financial or legal power to combat our larger competitors, but we had the consumers on our side, and that made all the difference.

how do i start a project?

first you need a problem that you want help solving or a question you would like to ask the world. this is your end goal, the theme of your project.

next, break it down into phases. phases are incremental steps along the way to accomplishing your project that have finite deliverables. phases keep everyone organized and allow users to contribute most effectively in their areas of interest or expertise.

if at any time you have questions or you want help setting up a project. just drop us a line, we’d be glad to help.

what kind of people use kluster?

everyone.

well, obviously not everyone, but seriously, the type of users that are on kluster are people that want to influence their favorite brands. they are people with great ideas to share or who are interested in helping others develop their great ideas.

these people are strictly limited to the young, and old, and those in between. the artists and corporate executives. introverted engineers and extroverted salesmen. skate punks and drama queens. suburban moms and adventure athletes. east coast, west coast, no coast, and the ivory coast.

in other words, there are no rules on who can have an idea, and there’s no limit to who wants to be involved with your brand. so don’t go looking for those limits here. you never know who will come up with the next great idea, but they’ll have a home at kluster no matter who they are.

so, is this just like a focus group?

no.

focus groups limit user interaction, and take people out of their natural surroundings. focus groups are inherently detached from the world and from the development process.

running a project on kluster allows you unlimited access to users, and allows those users to stay where they are comfortable and to communicate in whichever media they feel strongest. a kluster project is intrinsically tied to the development process, in real time, 24 hrs/day. kluster is much more powerful than any focus group.

what does it cost?

to run a public phase on kluster is free. seriously, there’s no cover charge for this party, come on in.

if you would like us to source certain types of users for you, or you would like to limit access for a phase to only certain users, or both, then we charge you, kind of like reserving a vip room at this free party.

read more about our business model.

how do i get users into a private phase?

there are two ways.

first, if you know who you want to invite (your employees, you mailing list, etc) you can invite them in yourself.

second, if you don’t know the users, but you know what type of users you would like we can find them for you. we can locate kluster users based on just about any criteria you can think of and invite them into your private phase. we charge for this service, but only once that user becomes active. if they don’t participate you don’t pay for the invite service.

how can i promote my project/brand on kluster?

paid promotion space is available on the main page of the kluster website. when setting up your project, just enter the amount of impressions you’d like to purchase on klusters main pages.

how long does it take to run a project on kluster?

however long you want. while things generally happen pretty quickly in this fast paced, 24hr, internet world, if you want to take your time you can. phases can be structured to last hours, days, months, or years. you can allot as much time as you think is necessary to get the information you need, or as little time as you have to spare.

how much of my/my company’s time will it take to run a project on kluster?

this really depends on the project. some projects will be able to run themselves. just set up the phases and the kluster algorithm will take over. others, especially projects with particularly technical problems, will need a bit more oversight. if you’re concerned about not having the human power to monitor a project on kluster, let us know. we can provide a skilled and charming member of the kluster staff to manage your project and be in constant contact with you so you can breathe easy and concentrate on your other business. let us know your needs, we’re here to help.

what kind of data will i get from running a project on kluster?

the kluster brain sees all. during and after your project kluster will provide you with a dashboard of data regarding how the project is running, the types of activity going on in your phases, who, what, where, when, and most importantly: why. this comprehensive data is presented to you in a simple graphical format so it can easily be understood and presented to other members of your organization. of course, if you want to go deeper, complex analytics are available at the touch of a button. we understand your desire for more data, so we provide it. you can look at the complete trajectory of sparks and amps in your project. drill down and find out what kind of users interacted with your project, what motivated them, and why certain sparks succeeded while others failed. kluster gives you an in-depth look into your brand users and what makes them tick.