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Glossary ​

Key terminology used in TermStorm.

Workshop Terms ​

Concept ​

An idea, term, or entity submitted during a workshop. Concepts are the primary items that participants submit, discuss, and vote on.

Example: "Customer", "Order", "Payment", "Shipping Address"

Facilitator ​

The workshop leader who creates and manages the workshop. The facilitator has special controls to:

  • Advance through stages
  • Edit and merge concepts
  • Control timers
  • Export results

Also known as: Workshop chair, Moderator

Participant ​

A person who joins a workshop to contribute concepts, add notes, and vote. Participants have more limited controls than the facilitator.

Workshop ​

A collaborative session where participants collect, discuss, and vote on concepts. Each workshop has:

  • A unique ID and link
  • A name and description
  • A defined lifecycle (stages)

Stage Terms ​

Collect Stage ​

The first stage where participants submit concepts and ideas. Features:

  • Text input for concepts
  • Optional notes
  • Timer and readiness tracking

Discuss Stage ​

The second stage where the facilitator reviews and organizes concepts. Features:

  • Edit concept names
  • Delete irrelevant concepts
  • Merge similar concepts
  • Add notes

Vote Stage ​

The third stage where participants vote on concepts. Features:

  • Three-level voting (-1, 0, +1)
  • Timer and readiness tracking
  • Vote tracking

Copy Stage ​

The final stage where results are displayed and exported. Features:

  • Sorted results by vote total
  • Selection for export
  • Export to Termboard
  • Workshop state backup

Feature Terms ​

Active Concept ​

During the Discuss stage, the concept currently being reviewed by the facilitator. When set:

  • All participants see which concept is active
  • Participants can add notes to the active concept

Coach Mark ​

Contextual hints that guide facilitators through the workshop process. Can be toggled on/off.

Merge ​

Combining two or more similar concepts into one. When concepts are merged:

  • Submitters are combined
  • Highest vote from each user is preserved
  • A new name is chosen for the merged concept

Note ​

A text comment (up to 500 characters) attached to a concept. Notes can be added by:

  • Participants during Collect
  • Facilitator during Discuss
  • Participants when the facilitator sets an active concept

QR Code ​

A scannable code that links directly to the workshop. Useful for:

  • In-person workshops
  • Quick mobile access
  • Easy sharing

Readiness ​

A status indicating that a participant has finished their work for the current stage. Shown as:

  • "I'm Done" button for participants
  • "X of Y ready" indicator for facilitators

Submitter ​

The participant who originally submitted a concept. When concepts are merged, all submitters are preserved.


Vote Terms ​

Positive Vote (+1) ​

Indicates support for a concept. Shown as a green dot in results.

Neutral Vote (0) ​

Indicates no strong opinion about a concept. Shown as a blue dot in results.

Negative Vote (-1) ​

Indicates opposition or lower priority for a concept. Shown as a red dot in results.

Vote Total ​

The sum of all votes for a concept. Determines the sorting order in the Copy stage.


Technical Terms ​

Local Storage ​

Browser storage that preserves your workshop data between sessions. Includes:

  • Your user identity (ID and name)
  • Workshop data (concepts, votes, notes)
  • Recent workshop list

Rate Limiting ​

Automatic protection against spam that limits how frequently actions can be performed. If triggered:

  • A notification appears with a countdown
  • Wait until the countdown ends to retry

Real-Time Sync ​

The technology (Yjs + PartyKit) that keeps all participants' views synchronized in real-time. Changes made by one participant appear instantly for others.

Workshop State Export ​

A complete backup of the workshop as a JSON file. Includes:

  • All concepts and notes
  • All votes
  • Participant history
  • Timer settings
  • Stage information

Termboard ​

A semantic data modeling tool that can import TermStorm results. Use TermStorm to collect concepts, then export to Termboard for detailed modeling with relations, groups, and styling.

Term (in Termboard) ​

The Termboard equivalent of a TermStorm concept. When you export from TermStorm, concepts become Terms in Termboard.