Aliza Sherman - The Complete Idiots Guide to Crowdsourcing

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Table of Contents

To my husband, Greg Risdahl, with love and thanks.

Introduction

Youre busy. You have a lot on your plate. You need assistance getting everything done. Maybe youve been outsourcing some work or hiring part-time help. There are new, fast, affordable ways to get things doneways that take advantage of how connected we all are to the Internet, and that utilize the new communications, technology, and social tools at our disposal.

Crowdsourcing is a process, or set of processes, that leverages the Internet and our ability to gather groupsor crowdsof people online to get something done. Youll soon find out that what we can get done through crowdsourcing can run the gamut from verifying information to designing a tattoo to raising money for a startup business.

Crowdsourcing has forever changed the way we look at work and the way we do it. Its an understatement to say that crowdsourcing is a new process and is still undergoing major changes and growth. By the time you read this book, the definition of crowdsourcing will have morphed and expanded even further than it had since 2006 when writer Jeff Howe first used the term in an article for Wired magazine. There will be new crowdsourcing terms, companies, services, and sites that will continue to expand on what youll find in this book.

How This Book Is Organized

More than anything, this book is a starting point for understanding the many facets of crowdsourcing. Youll learn the nuts and bolts of tapping into crowds in an organized manner to embark on your first crowdsourcing project or campaign.

In Part 1, Crowdsourcing Your Way to Results, youll learn how crowdsourcing evolved from other forms of working and collaborating online. Youll also gain insight into how crowds gather and react, and why people join crowds to work, to provide input, or for other organized activities.

In Part 2, Crowdsourcing for Feedback and Input, youll see that not all crowdsourcing involves getting work done. You can get feedback from crowds gathered online, or bring your own crowd together to provide input. Building your own crowd community takes time, and the steps and considerations of undertaking your own community building are outlined in this part.

In Part 3, Crowdsourcing on Social Networks, youll learn how to tap into your connections on social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn and on microblogs like Twitter. Each network has its own set of features for communicating that can be leveraged to different degrees for crowdsourcing endeavors. Tapping into your own networks can satisfy some of your crowdsourcing needs, but Ill tell you about their potential limitations.

In Part 4, Harnessing Crowds for Work, youll learn about companies specifically focused on providing you with work-related services through their proprietary crowdsourcing platforms. Youll also learn about crowd competitions such as design contests and other creative and collaborative platforms for sourcing design and creative work. Not only will you discover ways to cast a wide net to source a crowd for experts, but youll also learn how to gather your customers and collect their input to help you improve what you do.

In Part 5, More Ways to Crowdsource, youll see that crowdsourcing isnt limited to technical tasks. You can run the gamut from translation to traffic reporting. Youll learn how major corporations are using crowdsourcing principles to tap into customers for ideas and innovations.

In addition, I have provided a glossary as well as some resources to help you begin crowdsourcing. There are ways to leverage crowdsourcing technology and social networks to raise funds for organizations and causes, for creative projects, and even for companies. The interconnected communications and tools of crowdsourcing platforms can facilitate organizing crowds to take actions in their communities or around the world.

Extras

Throughout the book, youll find the following sidebars that highlight information I want to be sure you catch.

DEFINITION

In these sidebars, youll find clear, user-friendly explanations of crowdsourcing terms and concepts.

BEST PRACTICES

These sidebars provide tips to best leverage crowdsourcing tools and tactics.

PITFALLS

Check these sidebars for potential mistakes to avoid or challenges you might need to overcome to have a successful crowdsourcing campaign.

DULY NOTED

These sidebars highlight important information to consider when youre preparing for and actually conducting crowdsourcing activities.

Acknowledgments

I couldnt have written this book without the help and support of my family and friends and my business partners Monique Elwell and Steven Jackson and the team at Conversify. I spoke with many entrepreneurs who are innovating what crowdsourcing is becoming and who provided me with invaluable information for this book; the list of these individuals includes, but is not limited to: Lukas Biewald and the helpful folks at CrowdFlower, Matt Johnston of uTest, David Bratvold of Prova, Brandon Evans and Matt Listro of Crowdtap, Kyle Hawke of Whinot, James DeJulio and Justin J. Carter of Tongal, Shelley Kuipers of Chaordix, Philip Letts of blur Group, Neil Takemoto of CoolTown Beta Communities, Klaus Speidel of Hypios, Matthew Heim of NineSigma, and Alex Edelstein of CloudCrowd.

Special thanks to my Twitter friends, Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, and HelpaReporter.com, all part of generous crowds, who let me tap into them often to lead me to additional resources and experts for my book. Heartfelt thanks to my agent, Katelynn Lacopo at BookEnds, LLC, and my patient editor, Paul Dinas at Alpha Books.

Special Thanks to the Technical Reviewer

The Complete Idiots Guide to Crowdsourcing was reviewed by an expert who doublechecked the accuracy of what youll learn here, to help us ensure that this book gives you everything you need to know about crowdsourcing. Special thanks are extended to Clinton Bonner.

Trademarks

All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books and Penguin Group (USA) Inc. cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

Part 1

Crowdsourcing Your Way to Results

In Part 1, youll discover the origins of the term crowdsourcing and learn why people participate as members of crowds that produce work or provide input. I lay out some of the basic mechanics of do-it-yourself crowdsourcingwhat works and what doesntand how to manage crowdsourcing campaigns.

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