I thought I was pretty Internet-savvy, but I'm beginning to realize that there's a whole different language out there that I have absolutely no knowledge of. Have you ever heard of "crowdsourcing"? If not, do a google search and you'll be up to speed in no time. As a matter of fact, look it up on wikipedia, which itself is a form of crowdsourcing!
Unfortunately, I'm still in the dark ages, but apparentely this word has been out there since 2006 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJD5RrEwrG0&feature=related). However, this concept has been around for ages in various forms, including its name derivation--outsourcing. Yup, crowdsourcing is basically a form of virtual outsourcing and then some. It's also been referred to as
“artificial artificial intelligence” but crowdsourcing is a much catchier phrase so Jeff Howe’s gets a lot more face-time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s-l1XxZdHY)!
When I first learned of this term (yes, just a few days ago) I thought--wow, what a novel concept! But come to think of it...I've been engaging in crowdsourcing without even knowing it! At work, we're redoing our website and have been trying for months to come up with a catch phrase with our web-designers. We were throwing out ideas but getting no where--so then I had the "bright idea" of sending out an email to the general office and having a contest for the best response. We got a whole slue of creative responses and it only took a week! We also had the added bonus of having everyone participate and feeling included.
So you can just imagine the time and cost-saving results this concept provides to various business that solicit feedback from the entire internet community! Crowdsourcing also seems to provide a sense of community and contribution to areas that you wouldn't have been able to be a part of before. However, don't you think the pride and satisfication of individual ownership seems to suffer? Is this is a good thing or bad thing? I guess it can go both ways. But I can't help but feel bad for some of those folks who now are being replaced but crowdsourcing (i.e. photographers vs. IStockphoto - http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds.html). But that's just a reality all of us have to face since everything seems replaceable these days by new-found cheaper and/or efficient options, whether it's outsourcing, crowdsourcing, or the next new thing. That's the price we pay for technology!
So now that I learned this new concept...i'm interested in unleashing my creative juices and can definitely use an extra bit of cash (albeit nominal) in this recession. Has anyone actually tried one of the various crowdsourcing opportunities? If so--let me know your thoughts!!
Minus the Wonk
14 years ago
It's interesting that you bring up the possible lack of individual ownership of an idea as a disadvantage of crowdsourcing. I know at my job, we have a bunch of different people who help brainstorm ideas. But however productive those group meetings are, as a page designer, my job description is to be creative. So when that job is being "crowdsourced," it can take away from the amount of pride I have when I complete a spread. I might be proud of that spread, but I'd feel better about my worth if I was able to work through a creative idea on my own.
ReplyDeleteSo crowdsourcing has its advantages, for sure, but I would hope companies rely equally on the people they have on payroll to do their jobs, too.
Agreed!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea about crowd sourcing either Nisha. The internet is so vast in its resources it is almost not comprehensible. There is something new to learn everyday about how we can take advantage of resources via the internet for our company. But companies, as Ameir said, should not use these "outside" resources as a crutch always. Companies should rely on the talented individuals on the payroll to do their jobs in total. I have also experienced this. I wonder if companies realize the true amount they are spending on outside resources? Although, sometimes I must say it is very convenient and a quick way to get something out of the way that can be handled by an outside party with regards to time and efficiency.
ReplyDeleteHey Nisha,
ReplyDeleteI have a post up that refers back to this post about whether Wikipedia should count as crowdsourcing. Let me know what you think!
http://walterfrick.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-wikipedia-crowdsourcing.html