Sep 12 2008
Beyond the Mob: Web 2.0 and Crowdsourcing
Power to the masses! That’s the rallying cry of Web 2.0, the technology that has made it possible for people to communicate, connive and collaborate. Already, it has proven to be a powerful source of information and a gift to marketers and online businessmen. With crowdsourcing and Web 2.0, mob mentality seems not such a bad thing at all. In fact, it’s doing a lot of good.
What is crowdsourcing?
Crowdsourcing is the process in which people are solicited to volunteer or contribute to a group project, usually content that will be used online. One of the best examples of this is Wikipedia, the site that has provided reliable and often comprehensive information about virtually everything anyone has ever dared to ask about.
Wikipedia is not a creation of just one man or a small group of individuals. It’s actually a collaborative effort
of numerous contributors around the world. Today, it is one of the most trusted resources online, frequented by students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, experts and professionals as a reference or as a means with which they can contribute something useful to the World Wide Web.
The uses of crowdsourcing
It’s probably safe to say that crowdsourcing is built on the wisdom of the masses. It is the result of the effort of people who took a problem, provided solutions for it and produced excellent, valuable content. Web 2.0 technologies are the perfect vehicles for the open call nature of crowdsourcing. As a technique to create content and fill a need, crowdsourcing has become the solution for three major types of problems in the Internet. These are:
Organization of sites and content
Crowdsourcing has harnessed Web 2.0 technology to create a way for users to organize content and sites. A good example of this is the popular search engine Google and social bookmarking sites such as digg, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Netscape and Techmeme.
Google may seem like an engine that runs on its own power but if you look at its inner workings, crowdsourcing actually has something to do with what pops up each time someone makes a search. Google organizes sites based on their relevance, which in turn is based on links to those sites. Social bookmarking sites, on the other hand, also thrive on votes and popularity.
Creation of content and ideas
Other than Wikipedia, crowdsourcing has also used Web 2.0 to produce content and ideas. This is apparent in websites such as CrowdSpirit and Cambrian House, two hothouses for ideas that have spawned some popular following online. People participate by submitting ideas to the sites which are then launched. These sites are excellent for producing ideas powered by submissions from users, proof that indeed, the masses are a limitless source.
To predict trends
Who better to foresee the future than those who live in the present? As a means to predict future styles and
designs for gadgets, fashion and lifestyle, crowdsourcing has produced the likes of PicksPal, Yahoo! Buzz and Marketocracy. The aim of these sites is to provide a platform for people to create forecasts that others can use. These sites are currently one of the best places to go to online to take a peek at future trends in finance, sports and IT.
The wisdom of the masses
Crowdsourcing in the world built by Web 2.0 has proven once again that sometimes, two (or more) heads are truly better than just one. Witness the emergence of technologies and services that have opened up a lot of possibilities and opportunities for the rest of us. As to the question about who came first – crowdsourcing or Web 2.0 – it’s almost like a chicken and egg scenario all over again.
Crowdsourcing has prompted better Web 2.0 technologies and yet, Web 2.0 has made crowdsourcing possible. Either way, it’s an extraordinary partnership that should only improve from here on.
Here is where this lesson ends for today. We really hope you enjoyed this lesson too.
You will receive the next lesson in 7 days. Next week’s lesson will have the following title:
“Wiki Success in the Web 2.0 Environment”
Copyright(C) 2008 by John Delavera & Reimund Lube