Drupal 'Innovation Ideas': Platform for Community-Driven Creativity

Follow-Up Action to Pitch-Burgh Innovation Contest

Elma John

Sub Editor, TDT

A new platform for generating and showcasing ideas within the Drupal community has emerged, drawing inspiration from the successful Pitch-Burgh Innovation Contest. Aptly named "Innovation Ideas," this project provides a space for community members to propose groundbreaking concepts and gain recognition across the Drupal ecosystem.

Unlike traditional methods that rely on a jury, this project lets the community take the reins, deciding, building, and even funding the initiatives that show promise. By cultivating an environment that promotes fresh thinking and pooling resources into innovative projects, the platform aims to enrich the Drupal experience.

The primary objectives of the “Innovation Ideas” project are

To stimulate innovation and aggregate initiatives into common goals.
To give more visibility to initiatives that generate more interest, creating a medium-term vision for the community.
The possibility of better-validating ideas and even concentrating resources on their development.
To provide an overview of innovation in the community and the progress of each initiative.

It seeks to create a medium-term vision for the community by focusing on initiatives generating substantial interest concentrating resources where they matter most. This community-driven approach empowers members to monitor initiatives' traction, participate in discussions, and commit to contributing to the projects that resonate with them.

This initiative is still in the early days. During DrupalCon, I had a conversation with Alex Moreno, and we thought this could be worth pursuing. The goal is to have an easier and better pipeline of innovation within the community, and this may be achieved by having a running process similar to 'Pitch Burgh.'
The main difference is that, instead of having a jury and a voting phase, people can go anytime and back any initiative. I hope that contrib and core will evolve based on a shared vision that we'll shape by exchanging ideas and supporting and promoting them. Everyone is welcome to join by reaching out to me or Alex.

—Ricardo Marcelino, Co-Maintainer, Innovation Ideas Project while speaking to TDT.

Under the guidance of maintainers Alex Moreno López and Ricardo Marcelino, this initiative is set to evolve and grow. Alejandro is the Drupal Innovation Coordinator at Drupal Association. Ricardo is the General Assembly President of the Portugese Drupal Association and the Co-Founder/Managing Director of Omibee. They are pivotal in maintaining the project's structure and ensuring it remains a fertile ground for innovative ideas.

This collaborative approach underscores Drupal's commitment to empowering its community members and nurturing groundbreaking concepts that could shape the future of web development and content management.