FAQs
For more information and complete details about Goodzuma, please consult the Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and the Challenge Brief, including Official Rules, of every Challenge you join.
Hey, what is Goodzuma?
We thought we'd start with the most obvious question. Goodzuma is a unique digital network where organizations post social or environmental challenges for which they want YOUR ideas to help solve. The most creative or innovative idea can be rewarded with cash, academic credit, or the opportunity for an internship or job.
Don't have a big idea to help solve a challenge in Goodzuma? Great! Don't worry, that's the point of Goodzuma. We think the best ideas come from collaboration and sharing. So upload a simple idea, the beginning something you think might work, and let others in the Goodzuma community make it better.
Is Goodzuma free to join?
Yup, for human beings. And if you're a human being, you can do so right here.
What is a Challenge?
In Goodzuma, Challenges are contests for ideas to address or solve a social, environmental, educational or health-related issue in the world. Every challenge offers a reward - such as money, college credit, internship, fellowship, job opportunity or experience - to the person or people who have the best ideas to solve them.
Who is eligible to join Goodzuma and win Challenges?
For now, Goodzuma is only open to U.S. residents at least 18 years old or older.
Who is a "Sponsor" of a Challenge?
A "Sponsor" is an organization that created the Challenge and is offering a reward for the best ideas to solve a social, environmental, educational or health-related problem. Every Challenge has at least one or more Sponsor.
I'm an organization and might want to sponsor a Challenge or talk to Goodzuma about other opportunities. How do I do that?
Excellent. We'd be happy to talk with you about the problems you might want to solve, the rewards you could offer, and help you create your Challenge in Goodzuma. Email support@goodzuma.com and include your contact information, we'll get back to you right away.
What is a Pitch?
A Pitch is your idea to address or solve a particular problem contained in a Challenge. It could be a big idea, or it could be a small one. Either way, other users are allowed to suggest ways to make your pitch better, and you have the option of incorporating those ideas into your Pitch, or not. If you have the best Pitch, you might win the reward.
What kind of rewards are there in Goodzuma?
Well, it depends on the Challenge so be sure to read the Challenge Brief. But rewards can range from cash, to academic credit for college, to even a paid fellowship or opportunity for a job.
Wow, how would I get a job based on my Pitch?
Yes, but every Challenge offers a different reward, so be sure to read the Challenge Brief carefully before you upload your Pitch. If the reward is an internship or job - and you win the Pitch - you still might be required to submit your resume to, and have an interview with, the Organization that sponsored that Challenge. That will be detailed in the "Official Rules" section of the Challenge Brief.
OK, but what about academic credit? How would I get that?
Again, it depends on the Challenge so be sure to read the Challenge Brief. Goodzuma has a partnership with the Armstrong Institute for Media Studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. If academic credit is the reward for the Challenge you entered and won with your Pitch, you are eligible to receive a certain number of credit hours at Miami University. It may be important for you to consult an academic advisor about if - and how - receiving such credit might impact your academic career.
This is all well and good...but what if I don't have a crazy cool unbelievably big idea for my Pitch?
Don't worry! Most people don't have ideas that are fully baked and shovel-ready on their own. Goodzuma is a place where people are encouraged to share any idea - big or small - and let others build on it. This is a process known as "co-creation" and it's meant to help you make your idea to be bigger, better and more effective.
Who can build on the ideas in my Pitch, and how do I get them to do that?
Unless the Challenge you joined is closed and by invitation only, anyone who's a member of Goodzuma - either a person or an organization - can build on the ideas in your Pitch. In your profile, be sure to sign-up for Facebook Connect because that will allow you to post your Pitch and any updates to it on your Facebook Wall. Another thing you can do is get your friends, classmates, colleagues or anyone else to join Goodzuma by sending them this link http://www.goodzuma.com/pitch/yourIdea.
You talk about Challenge Briefs. What are those?
A Challenge Brief outlines the basic information about the challenge objective, entry period, sponsor(s), reward, location and timing. A very important section in the Challenge Brief is the "Official Rules" so please see that section for important details about that particular Challenge.
Are the ideas in my Pitch copyrighted?
According to U.S. law, "copyright is a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed." For information about whether or content in your Pitch is copyrightable, you can review this document [http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html]. It is important to note that Goodzuma does not offer legal advice regarding the copyright, or lack thereof, of your content, and that it may be important to consult with a lawyer.
OK, so I want to include something I copyrighted in my Pitch, how do I do that?
If you are uploading content to you Pitch that you have copyrighted, we require that you publicly state and claim that copyright so that other users are aware of it. You have the option to publish a "creative commons" license to your copyrighted work and can get more information about whether or not you might qualify for such a license, as well as how to represent it online or offline at the following link: http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions.
If I want to let other people use my copyrighted work to make their Pitch better, how do I do that?
Great! Remember, you are required to publicly state the copyright your claiming in your Pitch. If you'd like to encourage others to use it, you could use this language:
"Copyright © 200_ [owner's name]. The owner grants permission to redistribute and republish this material so long as it is redistributed and republished in full and with appropriate credit given to the author. All other rights reserved."
How will I know if my Pitch wins the Challenge?
Each Challenge will be an open contest for ideas for a certain period of time, called a Challenge Period. At the end of that Challenge Period, the organization that sponsored the Challenge will select and notify a winner - if there is one - within 7 days by phone or email. So be sure that you include your real email address when you sign-up for Goodzuma.
Yay! I won the Challenge I entered. Now what happens to my ideas that I included in my Pitch?
Well let us be the first to say congratulations! What happens to your idea, depends on the Challenge....so read the Challenge Brief. Some Challenges will help you implement your idea, while others just reward you for it. But you should also check the Terms and Conditions for goodzuma.com, as it is generally the case that - unless otherwise stated in the Challenge Brief - winners of Challenges transfer all rights, ownership, intellectual property interest and legal title of the Pitch to the Organization that sponsored the Challenge.
D*&#! I didn't win the Challenge I entered. Now what happens to my ideas that I included in my Pitch?
Bummer. But unless otherwise stated in a Challenge Brief, if you do NOT win a Challenge you retain all rights, ownership, and intellectual property interest of your idea. So you can pitch it again!
What if no one wins the Challenge?
It's possible that at the end of the Challenge Period, the Organization that sponsored the Challenge decides not to select a winner. Maybe they think the ideas need more work before meeting the criteria they established in the Challenge Brief. If this happens, the Challenge Period will either be extended, or the Challenge itself will be reposted soon.
What if I read this whole FAQ document and I still have questions?
Did you also read the full Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and the Challenge Brief of a Challenge you want to join?
If so, and you still have a question, then you have what we call an RAQ - Rarely Asked Question. So email us at support@goodzuma.com and put RAQ in the subject line. And we'll try to help you out.
If so, and you still have a question, then you have what we call an RAQ - Rarely Asked Question. So email us at support@goodzuma.com and put RAQ in the subject line. And we'll try to help you out.