All these companies grew up in the Internet age and were designed to take advantage of the networked world. But now the productive potential of millions of plugged-in enthusiasts is attracting the attention of old-line businesses, too. For the last decade or so, companies have been looking overseas, to India or China, for cheap labor. But now it doesn’t matter where the laborers are – they might be down the block, they might be in Indonesia – as long as they are connected to the network.Technological advances in everything from product design software to digital video cameras are breaking down the cost barriers that once separated amateurs from professionals. Hobbyists, part-timers, and dabblers suddenly have a market for their efforts, as smart companies in industries as disparate as pharmaceuticals and television discover ways to tap the latent talent of the crowd. The labor isn’t always free, but it costs a lot less than paying traditional employees. It’s not outsourcing; it’s crowdsourcing.
Photo by three15bowery.
Razib Ahmed on May 31st, 2006 at 10:00 am
“The labor isn’t always free, but it costs a lot less than paying traditional employees.”
Yes, outsourcing has caused that employees get more hope for getting better jobs with better income meanwhile companies are getting more skillful employees but cheaper work force than traditional way. ( http://www.southasiabiz.com/2006/05/ more_than_10000_american_expat.html )
Ashfaq Tunio on June 10th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Tapping into the vast potential of unused human resources, talent and time, call it ‘crowd-sourcing’ or anything else, is the way of the future. Each of the billions of people on this earth all have much to offer: knowledge, experience, ideas, tips, advice, information, time, companionship and sympathy. If we consider the vast number of hours which are wasted each day doing nothing, looking for information, and following blind alleys, the tremendous waste of human potential is staggering. So much knowledge is already available, but still many people are re-inventing the wheel. People are literally dying in underdeveloped countries from diseases for which cures have already been discovered.
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 ).