The Rise of Crowdsourcing

The advent of using large groups of people to solve specific tasks has led some to wonder about how this phenomena became so pervasive. Called crowdsourcing, the idea behind the process is that the collective wisdom of a large group of people may give better results than relying on the work of a small group or a single individual.

History of crowdsourcing

Though the process is today primarily identified with the internet, crowdsourced work has a history that precedes the use of computers. In the 19th century, the creators of the Oxford English Dictionary invited the British Public to help them index all of the words of the English language. They ultimately received over 6 million submissions. Other historical examples include an open competition by the French government for creating new ways to preserve food. Another famous instance occurred in the 18th century, when the British government held an open call for ideas to solve the difficulties in determining a ship’s longitude. The process ultimately resulted in the solution to a problem that had perplexed the British Navy for years.

Uses in business

The modern aspect of using a crowd as a source of labor typically involves companies using independent workers to enter data or come up with new ideas. Businesses get certain advantages from uses large groups to solve problems. They can often have this type of work done much more cheaply by members of the public than by their own employees, who would expect much higher pay. The process also enables businesses to expand their talent pool by having a huge number of workers on a single task. This can result in the completion of the task more quickly and efficiently. Some workers may not even want or expect compensation for their efforts. They might merely desire public recognition for their talents and abilities, which can create a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.

The rise of crowdsourcing is an important result of the spread of the internet. Companies see many benefits in using workers who they do not employ to help them in certain situations. The process also has some weak points since companies are not able to control the quality of the work they have outsourced. But, so far, businesses have focused on the strong points of using crowds and the trend shows no signs of abating. The crowd is now an important player in the daily work of many companies around the world.

Kristen Bradley is a specialist from CrowdSource.com, a leading site on the web that delivers scalable solutions to professionals globally.