What if you got the call? What if NASA put out an open call and said, “Build me an app!” And guess what, if the Space Agency chooses your app, it will pay you up to $10,000 for it. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is nearly 54 years old. And...
NineSigma is an open innovations service provider. Zynga explains that the company has the world's largest open network of solution providers. NineSigma uses this network as a tool to help companies find solutions to various business issues. I had the opportunity to...
The Crowdsourcing Survey According to a 2010 Weber Shandwick survey, 44% of the 216 Fortune 2000 Corporate Executives, interviewed, have used crowdsourcing. And 50% of these executives find crowdsourcing very valuable. The perceived value is spread unevenly across 4...
What if I told you that crowdsourcing will most certainly improve your business? Well, I have to apologize -- because in business just as in life, certainties are rare. But what I am certain of is that crowdsourcing is an incredibly powerful tool. As a work process, I...
Matt Barrie is the CEO of the largest outsourcing marketplace -- Freelancer.com. And how large is large, well how about 3.4 million professionals and 1.6 million projects under the companies belt, it's simple to see why Freelancer.com is a leader. Below is my email...
I had the pleasure of meeting Simon Mainwaring at an event during Internet Week last year. Unfortunately, I did loose touch with him but I am happy that we could reconnect for this interview. So let’s hear what Simon has to say. Q1: What is the main issue with the...
Ted Rubin is the CSMO at Collective Bias. He also sits on the advisory board of Crowdsourcing Week. Ted is terribly passion about building relationships. He makes it a point to consistently drive this point whether in the boardroom, on Twitter or speaking to...
Most decision makers look upon crowd-work as a cost savings and it most certainly can be. But if the only goal is to get your shiny new widget built as inexpensively as possible, then you will get just that -- a cheaply made shiny new widget. Now, while cost savings...
How many times have you said it? How many times have you said -- “only if I had two more people,” “only if I had a bigger budget,” “only if I had more time.” These are all common statements that plague companies of all different sizes. You understand this better than...
There is no limit to the incredible -- positive -- impact that crowdsourcing has on any one opportunity. Crowdsourcing can be used to solve the most mundane of projects -- to building the most advanced armored personnel carrier for the US military. Education for All...
This is a very nice Webinar sponsored by Crowdlfower. They are covering "Crowdsourcing 101." I also like the fact that Crowdflower also mentions microtasking. The video is about 37 minutes long -- but it's worth it.
Do you still have doubt or uncertainty in the application of crowdsourcing? I hear the arguments all the time -- “there are no standards,” “there is no accountability,” “are they skilled labor,” etc. And in all honesty they are not stupid questions. They are...
Today is the day that the crowdfunding ecosystem in the US rejoices -- more specifically startups and small businesses. President Obama will sign the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act into law. The law allows non-accredited investors to invest in startups --...
Over the past few months Crowdsourcing Week under the supervision of co-founders -- Epirot Ludvik Nekaj, Rose Kemps and Peter Davison is really heating-up. The trio has been able to take Crowdsourcing Week from an idea to a full-blown organization with a major event...
It seems that one of the main benefactors of crowdsourcing is the artisan -- specifically filmmakers and photographers. iStockPhoto was one of the first platforms to first be anointed as a crowdsourcing platform. And since 2006 there seems to be a steady uptick in...
Yesterday was a big day for crowdfunding. While it is supported by the Senate, House and President; there are many within the government and private sector that see crowdfunding as problematic. One of the main supporters of crowdfunding is Congressman Patrick McHenry...
So I am a big fan of Heinz Ketchup. I mean, I really like Heinz -- it’s a staple in my household. And while I don’t “Like” them on Facebook -- I think they have taken a bold step in asking its consumers for slogan ideas. Why is this such a bold step? Heinz is using...
So what crowdfunding? According to Wikipedia -- the crowd-powered reference site: “...the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by...
So what does the history of crowdsourcing look like? I mean everything has to start somewhere and in business the longer it's been around the better -- right? Now while Jeff Howe coined the phrase "crowdsourcing" -- crowdsourcing has been around since at least 1714....
Tim O'Reilly is such a wonderful speaker. I met him once at Tools of Change, in New York City. The conversation was very brief but I quickly realized why people gravitate to the man. During this TEDMED talk O’Reilly speaks about the power of communities. He continues...
The question of ethics is always a question. This is true whether you are speaking about personal or corporate ethics. But why am I talking to you about crowdsourcing ethics? I previously explained that crowdsourcing is not an industry but a work process? So how can...
Over the past few years crowdsourcing has receied a great deal of attention. This is most certainly a combination of social media and the adoption by startups and small businesses. Now while we are seeing an increase in attention -- more serious questions are being...
So why are startups and small businesses driving the growth of crowdsourcing? Why would they be driving a sector that up until 6 years ago was almost nonexistent -- and for the most part is not an actual industry. The basis for this adoption is a near bottomless...