Author Archive
Posted on January 20, 2011 - by Team blur
Crowdsourcing Myths: Many Heads Aren’t Better….
The old saying goes: ‘two heads are better than one’. So lots and lots of heads must be even better? Right?
Some would say otherwise, that utilising Crowdsourcing for things like testing and improving open source software or gathering data is risky and will lead to poor results and unreliable data. That the wisdom of many leads to confusion of many. This is a myth.
There are different types of Crowdsourcing for different tasks. Bounded Crowdsourcing, the type used at blur Group, is where a network of experts are assigned a task. The wisdom of the crowd isn’t in doubt as the crowd is made up of professional people that are experts in their fields. The results delivered are second to none as we only have the best people in our Crowds. This is also the case with many open sourced software packages. The people having input into the software are developers. These people know computers and software inside out. Literally. It is what they do and they are experts in doing it.
The only time that Crowdsourcing carries a risk of becoming innacurate or unreliable is when we deal with unbounded Crowdsourcing. This is the opposite of bounded Crowdsourcing, meaning that the crowd is more open and not populated by experts. This is an advantage when trying to find out the opinion of a group ‘layman’, people not educated in a particular field. Both these types of Crowdsourcing have their own strengths and appropriate uses. As long as each is used in the correct context, the correct data will be collected or the end product will be produced.
If utilised in the right way, Crowdsourcing has the potential to change the way all manner of businesses operate for the better.
Welcome to the future of business as we know it.
Posted on January 20, 2011 - by Team blur
The Golden Rules of Crowdsourcing
In 2006 Jeff Howe, a writer for Wired magazine, coined the term ‘Crowdsourcing.’
‘Crowdsourcing’ represented the change in attitude towards the internet as solely a communication and research tool, into its modern day guise as a worldwide marketplace, a live business forum and a new-aged globalised workforce. (more…)
Posted on January 20, 2011 - by Team blur
Crowdsourced Aid Agency Powers Charity through Social Networks
Can Crowdsourcing change The World? It just might…
Get It Done are a Crowdsourced aid agency, whose mantra is to bring the personal connection back to giving aid. Get It Done aim to, as they put it, ‘bring aid back to where it once started: as the basic human activity of taking care of the people you are connected to’.
They do this by utilising the huge scope of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, allowing users to set up their own aid projects. Each selected project is given a webpage and a widget, with users able to put their widget, or the widget of a project they support, on their social network page and share with friends. Once placed, the widget functions as a ‘window’ through which users can communicate and will be updated about their project’s progress. The widget also enables donations to be made easily and free of any charge. As Get It Done put it, ‘No middlemen, no fees’.
Get It Done has the potential to move the goal posts of giving aid, making the whole process more personal and relevant to the individual. It will enable smaller, less publicised causes to gain a much wider press and greater raise the money neccesary to fulfil their objectives. Using social media in such a way means G.I.D can Crowdsource the opinions of individuals, finding out the causes that are relevant to various areas, age groups, genders and so on. It will give each individual a voice and could lead to a new, digital led, wave of fund raisers and humanitarians.
A very noble Crowdsourcing company.
To read more about Get It Done and the causes they are highlighting, go their website here.
Posted on January 19, 2011 - by Team blur
What is Crowdsourcing the Video
