Melissa Ward of Newward Development, LLC posted an intriguing expose on what could be the next big buzz for entrepreneurs willing to expand their virtual horizons: crowdsourcing. In the featured video, Jeff Howe of WIRED magazine talks about how crowdsourcing is a clear and present tool in our digital midst. Social communities globally are organizing themselves around common interests, talents, values, lifestyles and more. Heck, look at Virtual Assistants! There are pockets of VAs at every turn on the web, huddling together hatching plans and ideas and yeah, maybe even the next big thang. But what does it mean for you, the client?
- Will your outsourcing strategy change? Should it change? Are you missing out on something here?
- What’s more efficient? Crowdsourcing? Outsourcing? Hiring in house? Some combination of the above?
- Is not the traditional “RFP” crowdsourcing? Or does it depend on what community is being targeted?
- Is it crowdsourcing only if it’s online and involves a social community of some sort?
I haven’t read the book (yet!), but perhaps a true “crowdsourcer” is one who will not necessarily go actively looking for a specific type of VA; instead, crowdsourcers might prefer to just throw a post up on Ping.fm once a week and see what comes back.
Although Pinging isn’t really targeting an identifiable crowd, is it?
There are more questions than answers, at least for me, at this point.
There are obvious drawbacks to the throw it at the wall and see what sticks approach. While the response rate may be higher, versus submitting an RFP to VAnetworking.com for example, what will the quality of those responses be?
On the other hand, it might be argued that crowdsourcing will create a sort of self-selection process where the cream rises to the top, because who really knows what the competition is like except that they all follow the same person on Twitter? Or Facebook? Or even subscribe to the crowdsourcer’s blog feed?
Then again, marketing is marketing. As such, like attracts like and maybe crowdsourcing has been here all along but under a different name: outsourcing.
What do you see as the fundamental difference between crowdsourcing and outsourcing? And how will it impact your business as a potential client of Virtual Assistants, if at all?
I see ‘crowdsourcing’ as the volunteer or free (maybe paid) projects that team to create or effect a certain outcome: wikipedia, linux, Open Office, Joomla, even input for WordPress and the WordPress themes. Crowdsourcing differs from a REALLY big team because it involves a lot of ‘in and out’ production. The collaborators probably have day jobs.
Conversely, outsourcing would be sending work from one source to another offsite source.
VAnetworking.com isn’t either as it stands, but I can see, with you, the opportunity for networking and maybe a some of the group joining up to achieve a specific outcome that would benefit VAs and clients, and be released first through VAnetworkig.com
Crowdsourcing has its own drawbacks, but I think many of them can be overcome. For example, lack of monetary motivation can be combated by offering non-monetary rewards based on a point system or by access to valuable freebies, discounts, membership. Issues associated with lower quality or malicious work can be kept at bay through community effort if community members have the ability to review, comment on, and rate each other’s contributions. Additional layer of quality control will also be needed on the client’s end.
But as with all the buzz words, there’s a tendency to apply crowdsourcing to everything. There are projects that are completely unsuitable for this approach. And in many cases crowdsourcing will prove to be costlier and less efficient than traditional outsourcing.
When it comes to VA community, I think there is currently no single website set up for crowdsourcing since the idea goes well beyond networking or Q&As in the forums.
Crowdsourcing is a totally different approach then Outsourcing.
In a Crowdsourcing environment the users i.e. the one that receives the project will never really be in contact with the providers, thus never creating the professional relationship that is often found between a VA and her customers.
I believe it really all depends of the degree of involment one really wants in their working environment, and how really involved they want to be.
Crowdsourcing is not totally organized. It is an open forum where people contribute. Think Wikipedia… many people sign up as editors and are responsible for keeping information accurate. These people also take responsibility for what they contribute – they own it but are willing to share it.
Outsourcing is a one on one relationship (in most cases). I have a VA for marketing and communication help and another who does my books, manages cash flow and keeps the paper trail moving.
I need outsourcing to keep my business flowing. I’d like to eventually create a crowdsourcing model for a web site and thus a community of people who share a passion and contribute to the content willingly and freely.