Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business

Linda Parker ("Online communities editor", for the Cincinati Post) - "It used to read, 'Be a Citizen Journalist' and no one ever clicked on it, then we said, "Tell us your story" and still nothing. For some reason, 'Get Published' were the magic words."

People might be enthusiastic and capable of some level of self organization but they also require directions and guidance and someone to answer their questions. Most successful crowdsourcing efforts are products of a robust collaboration between the crowd and the individuals guiding them. These people focussed the collective and corrected for some ... See more

Labor can often be organized more efficiently in the context of community than it can in the context of a corporation.

Crowdsourcing has the capacity to form a sort of perfect meritocracy. The quality of work takes precedence over pedigree, race, gender, age and qualification.

- Participants are not primarily motivated by Money

Attracting a crowd is much easier than keeping them. The most important component to a successful crowdsourcing effort is a vibrant, committed community and understanding what motivates people to contribute in the first place. People ned to feel rewarded for their efforts.

The rise of the network allows us to exploit the fact of human labor that long predates the Internet. The ability to divvy up an overwhelming task - such as the writing of an exhaustive encyclopedia - into small enough chunks that completing it becomes not only feasible, but fun.

- Extrinsic - The Carrot (Financial Reward) and The Stick (A scolding from your boss)

People will work late into the night on one creative endeavor or another in the hope that their community - be it fellow designers, scientists, or computer hackers - acknowledge their contribution in the form of kudos and, just maybe, some measure of fame.

- Intrinsic - goals such as creative fulfillment, a belief in the project, the sense of community obligation, the opportunity to enhance one's reputation in the community.