Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks or gathering information, goods, labor, or ideas from a large group of people.
It is built on the concept of the “wisdom of crowds,” which suggests that a large group of people can provide surprising insights or value, even if individually they may be wrong or uninspired.
Crowdsourcing works by distributing tasks or labor among many people, and it can be used by businesses to accomplish specific objectives or generate ideas.
Unlike traditional outsourcing, crowdsourcing spreads the work across a large, often undefined group of people who have no connection to each other or to the business aside from their crowdsourced input.
Crowdsourcing can provide valuable data and insight into the actions of large groups of people, such as public interest in a company’s products or services.
Crowdsourcing can be paid or unpaid.
Online crowdsourcing marketplaces provide opportunities for people to perform routine tasks or “micro-jobs” for small fees.
Crowdsourcing can be cheaper than hiring an employee or a professional contractor, and it can surface original ideas that may not have been discovered through traditional methods.
However, there are also cons to crowdsourcing.
Companies have limited control over the product or project, and communication issues with the crowd can lead to wasted time and resources.
Additionally, the quantity of submissions may outpace the quality of the results, leading to an overwhelming effort to sift through low-quality material.
Overall, crowdsourcing can be a useful tool for businesses and organizations with limited budgets, but it is important to consider the pros and cons before implementing a crowdsourcing strategy.
