chrisjleaf

Perhaps you're underestimating the complexity of the algorithm. The linking between ideas and issues is not superficial, the ranking of an idea is based directly upon the ranking of the issues it is linked to.

Issues are a bit simpler in that they mostly are based on activity related to them. However doesn't it make sense that an issue that's popular would reflect the magnitude of it's importance?

We differentiate issues and ideas with icons (an umbrella and light bulb respectively). Issues are typically statements of facts regarding problems that people have seen or experienced themselves. These issues are meant to be tied to an idea which solves them and are separated on purpose (problems and solutions don't follow have one-to-one relationships). Ideas play an important role on the site - to provide a call to action to actually solve a problem.

For this reason if a user submits an issue they have a solution for we encourage them to submit the problem and solution separately so other people can contribute other related submissions.

The entire point of the site is that solving issues comes first. That's why our algorithms rank ideas based on the importance of the issues they solve. This way the ideas that solve the most important problems will rise to the top of the list that is what makes Thinkerous different from other "idea list" websites: we target problems directly while idea lists don't.

For side projects you should checkout http://www.thinkero.us, they love seeing new ideas or hearing about issues you see around you that you wish could be fixed. It's more of a community for open innovation and collaboration with less of the pressures than some of the more financially incentivized sites listed above.