Crowdsourcing: New buzzword?
Summary: “Requiem for a Meme
Wired Magazine's “Requiem for a Meme” (June 2006) chronicles the short life spans of five would be trend-setting buzzwords: Smart mobs, electronic herd, Telecosm, Turbo-capitalism, Progress paradox.
Missing from the list? Chris Anderson’s Long tail and Jeff Howe’s new Crowdsourcing.
What is crowdsourcing? According to Howe’s “Crowdsourcing, A billion amateurs want your job":
Remember outsourcing? Sending jobs to India and China is so 2003. The new pool of cheap labor: everyday people using their spare cycles to create content, solve problems, even do corporate R & D.
Crowds cited: garage scientists, amateur videographers, micro-freelancers, photo enthusiasts.
Source: crowdsourcing.com, “the rise of the amateur”
Will crowdsourcing eclipse long tail? Join the conversation: “Talk Back” below and share your buzz thoughts.
UPDATE: RETRACE THE BUILDING OF THE BUZZ BELOW
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Talkback
Accelerating development by crowdsourcing
Consider the use of a map - if I want to get from point A to point B, I could go up many blind alleys and finally reach there. If I had a map, I do't waste time and reach point B in the least possible time. Now to be more efficient, I have to know that the map is available, where to get it from, and how to read it. A map is a chunk of knowledge, already discovered and organized by someone who took the time and effort to do so. But once made, there is no reason why the map cannot be used by hundreds or thousands of people. The same is true for knowledge of any kind - medicine, engineering, chemicals, agriculture, architecture, you name it. The knowledge is already available in books, on the web, or in the heads of experts, but it needs to be pointed out to the people who need it but don't know where to find it. This could be one important role of using the power of the people.
Take the analogy of the map further. I have a map, but it is static. It doesn't tell me which road is closed due to road repairs, where there is a traffic jam, or which gas station is selling gas the cheapest right now. There are complete radio and TV channels devoted to broadcasting updates on traffic conditions, with traffic-spotters phoning in with changes in the ground situation. Crowdsourcing? You bet. Apply this to online knowledge repositories. Wikis. People constantly sending in updates and corrections on every subject. What we have is a dynamic map of knowledge. Whats the best place to eat in this area? Where can I get a plumber or babsitter in that area? Who is the expert on this subject? Where can I find an answer to my question on that issue? What we need is a cross between Google, Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers. A place where anyone can get the answer to his/her question on any subject instantaneously. A job for crowdsourcing? Obviously.
I am in the process of setting up such a web-site, and would appreciate input, advice and help from all interested. ( 'Ash' at drtunio@gmail.com ).
Re: crowdsourcing