“Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.” (Jeff Howe, 2006)
Crowdsourcing is very upcoming and becomes more and more popular. Now I will show you some examples of crowdsourcing. These examples will show different ways of how to use crowdsourcing.
The first example is ‘Fold-it’. Scientists were looking for a medicine to brake the hiv-virus which is causing aids. They had to figure out how the structure of the protein, which multiplies the virus, looks like. Because of the millions of options, it could take decades. That is why the scientists from Washington decided to make the game ‘Fold-it’.
10 days after the release of the game, the solution was found. Using 57,000 gamers the scientist could get started on the medicine they had been looking for, for ages. And the gamers had a lot of fun playing the game.
The second example is an example from Loekie. Loekie is a bicycle brand for children. They were looking for new bike parts which would improve the safety and usability and at the same time would increase the recognisability from the brand. They asked students and young professionals for help using the crowdsourcing platform Battle of Concepts.
After just one week, Loekie got 72 ideas for new bicycle parts. Three ideas are now successfully integrated in the market. One of the ideas is for example the ball-proof carrier. The middle slat of the luggage carrier is in the shape of a half moon, so you can take a ball with you on your luggage carrier.
The next example is from Bill Gates. But it is not something you would suspect, since it has nothing to do with computers or software. Bill Gates used crowdsourcing to create a new condom. He wanted to invent the condom of the future, because of the high unwanted pregnancy rate. The best ideas got 100,000 dollar to develop the condom.
Meantime you have condoms like the ‘origami-condom’ and ‘the wingman’ in stores.
The last example is from an ice cream vendor from Utrecht. Marten Schuurman is the first ice cream vendor who is using social media to start up his business. He asked the crowd for help with his ice cream car, the location to park his car, the tastes he would sell, the places where he would go with his car and the crowd even helped him with the name and the logo of his business. He also used social media to communicate with his customers, for example he would let the customers know what his route for the day was through social media.
These examples show that there are many ways to use social media: to come up with a scientific solution, an invention for a children’s bike, a new invention and to come up with a marketing plan.
References:
http://www.marketingfacts.nl/berichten/39100429_socialijs_de_ijscoman_als_location_based_service
http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/foldit/
http://www.hartelijkgefaciliteerd.nl/crowdsourcing-wat-het-en-wat-kun-je-ermee/
http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/news/20130325/bill-gates-condom-challenge
http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/news/20130325/bill-gates-condom-challenge
I absolutely agree that using crowdsourcing could lead to success for a lot of businesses. And not only businesses but for communities, societies and individuals. In the case of ‘Fold-it’ for example, the scientists can have fun while playing and at the same time look for ways to break the HIV-virus. People can do much more collectively and I think that this could be used as an opportunity to find solution to a lot of problems.