Crowdsourcing

As stated in the above video, a technique similar to crowdsourcing is dated back as far as 1714, so it existed long before the Internet did. 

Crowdsourcing involves lots of people working independantly on one project, then putting their ideas together to form a final piece.  This blog post looks at how the Internet has benefitted this aincent technique of gathering ideas, and what new services it has brought.

Before the Internet, gathering ideas from individuals would have been a difficult task, due to the lack of mass communication.

Participants in a project would all have to travel with their ideas to the location where the project was being carried out.  Now, with the Internet and social media, projects can be advertised to the masses, and ideas submitted online.

This means that a project can gather a lot more ideas and participants than it could before the Internet came along, as the whole concept has become much easier to carry out.

The success of Crowdsourcing compared to similar methods used before the Internet comes down to 3 things: high-speed Internet, a changed workforce structure and International payment systems [Eposti, 2011].

Internet useage is accessable in nearly every home, due to low, fixed prices.  This means that participating from Crowdsourcing is possible from the home, too.

With unemployment levels being at the position they are in, the Internet has brought the opportunity of Crowdsourcing to those people who do not have a job.

And, with online payment methods being so quick and simple, rewards for Crowdsourcing can be given instantly.  This also means that Crowdfunding is now possible.

Crowdfunding is a crowdsourcing operation that, along with many other services described in the video above, has been brought about by the Internet.  It simply would not have been feasable before the Internet was invented.

Crowdsourcing is a very valuable tool to businesses, as the ability to gather ideas from a broad range of external sources means that it is extending its "business brain."  Generating ideas from the public also means that the business will be able to target them more efficiently.  Crowdsourcing also removes a barrier between a company and the public, as they are working together to provide a better, and far more effiecient, service than a business could achieve on its own.


References


Online Video
CrowdsourcingOrg, 2012. Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding Explained [online video]. 15 March.  Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-38uPkyH9vI [Accessed on 17 April 2012]

Webpage
ESPOSTI, C., 2011. Why Crowdsourcing? Why Now? [online]. Los Angeles: Crowdsourcing LLC.  Available from: http://www.crowdsourcing.org/editorial/why-crowdsourcing-why-now/5570 [Accessed on 24 February 2012]