Posts Tagged ‘benefits of crowdsourcing’

What You Should Know about Crowdsourcing

Wednesday 7 April 2010< | Keith J. Hamilton

What You Should Know About CrowdSourcing image What You Should Know about Crowdsourcing

A lot is being said about crowdsourcing these days. People with different schools of thought and varying opinions, observations and critiques are letting themselves be heard across every platform. With so much information out there (which is often contradictory), it can sometimes be hard to separate fact from fiction and right from wrong. With this post I hope to clear the air and outline crowdsourcing for what it truly is.

Bridging the Gap between Designers and Clients – Many people are of the opinion that crowdsourcing can lead to a communications gap between designers and clients. The responsibility of communication however lies primarily with the client. They create the briefs, design specifications and they are responsible for ensuring all designer queries and questions are promptly answered. This healthy exchange back and forth promotes efficient client-designer interaction and bridges the gap between both the parties.

Get More Done in Less Time – With numerous creative minds chipping in their talents, crowdsourcing gets more accomplished in less time. This is important for companies as time is money. The quickly they can get the desired results and move on, the better. Sometimes getting to a point first is just as important as getting there, period.

Opportunity to Come Up With and Debate the Best Solution – Anyone can come up with a conceptual idea or a solution. Crowdsourcing can be used to tap into varying skill sets in order to come up with multiple solutions for clients. These solutions can then be further debated and scrutinized in order to sort out the best answer to the client’s specifications. It is a good opportunity to put all heads together and come up with an answer.

Crowdsourcing Just Works!

In the end, I suppose the one thing that everyone should know about crowdsourcing is that it works, provided it is applied correctly and smartly. Companies should have a firm understanding of what they want and how they are going to go about getting it. They should also know crowd sourcing along with what it is and isn’t. While that may vary from person to person, one thing that crowdsourcing definitely is, is a great testament to the power of the crowd.

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Crowdsourcing – Why not?

Wednesday 17 February 2010< | Keith J. Hamilton

banner nextpost Crowdsourcing – Why not?
Crowdsourcing has been in the spotlight ever since its inception in 2006. Unfortunately, inaccurate information and poor judgment has led many people to jump the gun when it comes to its true potential. Feeling threatened by the positive impact it can have on businesses, critics have come up with their own set of faults and blown them out of proportion.

In point of fact, this ingenious problem solving strategy is the most efficient and effective marketing technique a company can have in its arsenal. Even though crowdsourcing is designed primarily to assist business establishments reach quality economical solutions, it also assists participants in numerous ways, making it one of most promising marketing strategies of the 21st century. Here are just some of the areas where crowdsourcing shines.

Crowdsourcing Offers Brisk Economical Solutions
This is arguably the best and the most appealing feature of crowdsourcing. Since there is virtually no limit on the number of participants, a client can end up with numerous options for their project in a very short amount of time. Crowdsourcing also provides, specifically the startup and small businesses a chance to find quality solutions in a modest budget. All that is left is for the client to do is provide feedback and decide which option is in the best interest of the company. This makes crowd sourcing a very cost effective strategy. post img 1 Crowdsourcing – Why not?

Access to a Much Larger Talent Pool
Another exciting feature of crowdsourcing is that it enables the client to tap into a vast pool of talent that can aid and assist them with their queries. This way they are not limited to one inspiration or idea. Instead, clients can now get the feedback from numerous qualified individuals, and get competitive ideas for their design solutions. Given the right choice of crowdsourcing marketplace and proper incentive, startup companies can now achieve beneficial results. Now small businesses can weave their way out of today’s economic catastrophe with affordable solutions and no longer have to depend on hiring big shots of the industry. post img 2 Crowdsourcing – Why not?

Better Understanding of Customer Needs
One thing to remember about crowdsourcing is that while it may involve a large number of individuals working for the client, they are not company employees. In fact these are ordinary people who are either experts or amateurs in their relative fields. By giving them the opportunity to come up with a solution, clients can not only gain various options but also get the general idea about the demands and expectations of their customers and target audiences. post img 3 Crowdsourcing – Why not?
Opportunity for Others to Shine
So much has been said from the client’s point of view but what about the participants? Crowdsourcing provides a golden opportunity for the contest participants to apply their talents and get noticed by everyone. These participants can be almost anyone – students or novice designers just entering the field of graphic designing or expert freelancer designers who do this for a living. Crowdsourcing serves as a great way for them to learn from others and hone their skills to better assist clients in their future projects. Every participant walks out of a crowd sourcing event better than before. Almost all crowdsourcing events come with cash incentives or valuable prizes to further motivate and entice qualified individuals to participate. post img 4 Crowdsourcing – Why not?
Crowdsourcing is not just popular with private businesses. State and local governments as well as non-profit organizations and startup businesses aggressively pursue crowdsourcing as a means to gather prompt data and quality solutions. Crowdsourcing is breaking down the traditional structure of the business world, broadening the corporate domain and bringing versatility of the innovative minds together. The pressing question to ask therefore is not “Why crowdsourcing?”, but “Why Not?”

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