I’m not a believer in the so-called wisdom of the crowd, but I do think that crowdsourcing has cemented its place in modern business.
Crowdsourcing, as you probably know, is a way of using ‘crowds’ to ‘source’ solutions to your problems.
What have you crowdsourced lately? Nothing? Well, if you run a website and have embraced user-centricity then think again... perhaps you have conducted user testing? Well, that’s crowdsourcing – asking the crowd for feedback - and it beats a top-down policy of allowing your board to design the website.
Of course there’s more to life than usability testing. So what else can be crowdsourced? It turns out that there are plenty of dedicated crowdsourcing services that can be used for businesses. I've collated a bunch of the best ones, and some of them are really great.
Check them out…
Logo design = 99designs
Need a logo? No problem. Simply turn your logo / design project needs into a contest on 99designs. Submit a brief and determine a fee for the contest winner (minimum is around $150), then sit back and watch the crowd go to work. More than 40,000 designers that use 99designs. After all the submissions are in you can choose a design. What could be simpler? I'll be using this one imminently...
Brand names = namethis
Not dissimilar to 99designs, this is a way of creating a 48-hour contest to find a brand name for your venture. The namethis community suggests names, and then votes on the best ones. Fees are paid to the best three ideas. It costs $99 to harness the namethis crowdbrain.
Business innovation = Chaordix
“When you take direction from employees, customers, partners and other people passionate about your business, you will outperform the competition.”
Spawned from now defunct crowdsourcing startup Cambrian House, Chaordix is an enterprise platform for people who want to engage the crowd via the web to “submit, discuss, refine and rank ideas or other contributions” in order figure out “the most-likely-to-succeed solutions”. A one-stop shop for businesses that want to feel the love of the crowd.
Brainstorming / feedback = kluster
“Everyone deserves a voice. The question is—how loud? Find out now by creating your own kluster—a new breed of group decision-making tool that helps you bubble-up new ideas, identify the best ones, and make better decisions.”
Perfect for brainstorming ideas from trusted people, kluster allows you to harness and manage your hand-picked crowd. More a tool than a crowd itself, kluster supports group decision-making by capturing weighted feedback from participants. I reckon that’s pretty useful within a company itself, or perhaps it can be used by your most valuable user evangelists to help you finesse your business. From $27 a month.
Advertising = Poptent
“Poptent is the best place for independent and freelance videographers to build their portfolios, connect with companies and brands for commercial work.”
TV advertising is 99.9% creative rubbish, so why not start crowdsourcing your ads? They’ll surely be no worse than those prepared by the average Big Media Agency, and a hell of a lot cheaper (there is a significant fee for using Poptent, and another for licensing ideas, but it’s still peanuts compared with the vast sums spent on the usual rubbish). The likes of Harley Davidson and even Proctor & Gamble are using Poptent, so there might be something in this. Zoopa and OpenAd.net are doing similar things.
Product redesign – redesignme
“The first platform where communities and companies collaborate on new / revamped products and services.”
This innovative website hooks up companies with creative thinkers to develop new product / service concepts. RedesignMe’s Design Critique section actively seeks out badly-designed products, which the community can rate. If the manufacturer is receptive, users are then invited to complete design challenges.
Product design and manufacturing = Ponoko
“Make, sell & buy almost anything.”
What’s interesting about Ponoko is that it allows shoppers and conceptual product designers to bring their ideas to life, however random they may be. You don’t need to possess the talent to design or manufacture the product, since Ponoko’s crowd of designers will do it for you. Better still, you can simply take a picture of a sketch, upload it, and then wait for designers to tell you how much it would cost to have made for real. You can do this for yourself, for bespoke / crazy gifts, or to sell to others. Ponoko rocks.
Software & usability testing – uTest
There are plenty of reasons why you don’t want to ditch your preferred usability agency, since offline user testing is absolutely essential to businesses of all sizes. But if you want to conduct online testing then uTest’s community of “18,000 QA professionals from 150 countries” might be the place to start. Web, mobile, gaming and desktop apps can be tested, and the service also supports agile developers.
Data cleansing & entry / content creation = Amazon’s Mechanical Turk
“Mechanical Turk is a marketplace for work. We give businesses and developers access to an on-demand, scalable workforce. Workers select from thousands of tasks and work whenever it’s convenient.”
There are plenty of occasions where the human brain works better than the fastest computer. Tasks that are better performed by humans can be outsourced to Turk. There are currently around 50,000 ‘Human Intelligence Tasks’ (HITs) available for its freelance workforce, including such gems as writing a review of a San Francisco street, or making a video about your coffee stories. Fees per task paid out range from a couple of cents to $30 (Amazon takes 10% commission). There are thought to be at least 100,000 Turkers from around the world.
Images = Flickr Creative Commons
Why bother paying ridiculous sums of money on pictures when there is an alternative as good as Flickr. It’s not perfect for everything (celebs, footballers, etc) but there are millions of high quality images that can be used, with appropriate credits. We use these pictures all the time on our blog.
So that’s it... but before you stagedive into the crowd there are a few cautionary tales out there, which you might want to familiarise yourself with.
I'd love to hear about your experiences if you're actively crowdsourcing... please leave a comment below.
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Reader comments (50)
1:42PM on 4th August 2009
Nice overview. Thanks for that. Chaordix and Poptent look particularly interesting.
We actually just experimented with Mechanical Turk to crowd-source the logo of our new company. Letter by letter.
http://www.wewillraakyou.com/2009/07/the-story-behind-our-crowd-sourced-raak-logo/
1:53PM on 4th August 2009
Good list Chris. Isn't the Mechanical Turk just for US companies though? I tried to sign up today to put some projects up and was told it wasn't available outside America. Bit of a shame.
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
1:59PM on 4th August 2009
Hey Adi,
I didn't know that. 100k+ workers in 100+ countries suggests it is global but it looks as if you're right. Amazon is missing a trick. I'll ask the question. In the meantime perhaps someone else can suggest an alternative? Opportunity knocks.
c.
3:27PM on 4th August 2009
no mention of crowdspring?
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
5:06PM on 4th August 2009
There is now! Thanks Roy... it's another good crowdsourcing service.
5:56PM on 4th August 2009
Thanks for the mention on your blog. You've got a great list here. Since Chaordix is focused on helping businesses with open innovation style crowdsourcing, we use other crowdsourcing sites as well.
What we use:
- uTest everyone should use this, brilliant
- Quirky from the Kluster guys, fun and different
- iStockphoto our neighbours, although we also use Flickr creative commons photos for our blog
- Threadless to keep us dressed :)
Two we think are great but haven't used:
- Innocentive (we love the big thinking that happens here)
- Better than the Van (everyone dreams of being a rockstar, a crowdsourced community of free places to stay for bands on tour)
9:58PM on 4th August 2009
The content generation aspect of Mechanical Turk is interesting, but the rates are virtually nil. Using Cinnaminta, some of these types of request could be fulfilled free of charge. It depends how imaginative you are - yet another product review probably won't stir much interest.
4:34PM on 5th August 2009
TV Pixie used 99designs for its logo design. We had a good range of submissions to choose from and we're very happy with the result.
5:50PM on 5th August 2009
And here we have crowd sourced investigative journalism http://helpmeinvestigate.com/
10:31PM on 5th August 2009
GeniusRocket uses crowdsourcing to provide a variety of marketing needs, including: viral and online videos, taglines, copywriting, naming, website design, blog design, and logos.
GeniusRocket has worked with brands of all sizes and has also helped start-ups establish brand identity. Past clients have included Pepsi, Heinz, South by Southwest, and Fractured Atlas.
7:57PM on 6th August 2009
How about BountyStorms (http://www.bountystorms.com)? It's a brainstorming site that uses crowdsourcing to generate ideas. Post a question along with a bounty ($5 to $25 currently) and in 24 hours you have a bunch of great, crowd-generated and approved ideas.
12:15AM on 7th August 2009
namethis.com powered by Kluster are not able to reward users at the moment due to 'cash flow problems'. Many of the long time/regular users are owed hundreds of dollars and are not too happy. New users, beware.
10:12AM on 8th August 2009
1) Translation and Localization Services (Controlled crowdsouring)
Through an API
http://translated.net/en/hts.php
or stardard we quote
http://translated.net/en/preventivo.php
2) Creativity
http://www.bootb.com
Marco
10:55AM on 8th August 2009
Very interesting list, thanks Chris. The uTest looks especially interesting for development of ecommerce software that is intended to work on the global market. Definitely, it does worth to try it out.
5:42PM on 9th August 2009
Hi,
I have developed a KM/research system which is driven by crowd source. It leans ontologies by taking what the crowd has already developed and allowing the user to develop their own version which feeds the system model. It also crowd sources the relevant site to search. The site is www.alexlib.info
11:51PM on 22nd August 2009
Be very careful dealing with Ben Kaufman and his Kluster platform. He is an untrustworthy person. He isn't paying community members for the NameThis project, which is part of Kluster. You'll see in his blog at namethis.com he posted some information a month ago about financial problems and hasn't addressed any of these issues since then.
7:56PM on 24th August 2009
Good list.
"I second that" for uTest and 99 Designs.
In addition, eLance is well worth checking out. It has a similar theme: you can describe a project you'd like to have completed (e.g., "build a website based on this PowerPoint presentation I've put together which has some mock screens and the content I have in mind") and get bids from dozens of providers - along with the abilty to look at their portfolios.
A quick pointer for using 99 designs well: you set the price you're willing to pay and designers will submit many potential designs (logos, business cards, etc.). My experience shows that while the amount of money you're willing to pay certainly influences the number and quality of designs you're allowed to review, an even more important influencer is the frequency and quality of the feedback provided by the person asking for the design.
- Justin Hunter
Founder of Hexawise, a software testing tool company
10:07PM on 24th August 2009
At the moment namethis.com, which is operated by Kluster/Ben Kaufman, is not forwarding rewards to winners. I suggest you don’t waste your time there. It is scandalous that they are allowed to operate.
5:16AM on 24th September 2009
I'd like to add another one to the list. I came across a new site called Denook. They are a crowdsource ideas for logos, websites, apparel...
Pretty cool - http://www.denook.com
4:52PM on 4th November 2009
We just added Spudaroo.com to the list! Crowdsourced business materials from slide presentations, business plans, web content, press releases and a bunch more. We launched recently and got the ball rolling with a contest for our press release. Would love your feedback =)
http://spudaroo.com/contest/7/
1:12AM on 25th November 2009
I was super impressed with DESIGNBAY.COM and they recently acquired DESIGNCROWD.COM so hopefully they are even better now. Visual identity/logo design, posters, tshirts etc...
2:57PM on 14th December 2009
Do you know any croudsourcing for photoshop/image manipulation?
7:08AM on 12th January 2010
Good post. I already tried Crowdsourcing but for my companies Logo atr http://www.guerra-creativa.com
10:39AM on 20th January 2010
You forgot grafikguru.com (really low fees) and guerracreativa.com (nice layout but very high fees).
10:14AM on 23rd April 2010
Good list Chris. Thank you.
That is really great that we have experience of positive interaction with the companies which stand out for their professionalism, quality of work, ethics, and their commitment to providing great customer service.
Another great website is http://world4brains.com. World4Brains.com is an automated Global Consulting and Innovation Think Tank that helps companies innovate, solve problems, and grow bigger and better - at the price clients are willing and able to pay. Hundreds of well-credentialed consultants and accomplished innovators from around the world and across as many disciplines as required simultaneously collaborate and contribute their best ideas, advice and solutions - thanks to an innovative payment system that rewards all valuable input given. World4Brains clients are protected by a 100% money-back guarantee.
6:30PM on 23rd April 2010
Don't you think that crowdsourcing like this takes jobs away from working professionals, therefore diminishing the overall quality of the end-product?
6:49PM on 15th May 2010
I think this is still in it's baby stages as companies dont know enough about these markets and measures.
I'm Glad someone is making it a little more known.
Great article.
10:56AM on 29th August 2010
A good overview but no mention of Mypitch.com who have published over 600 pitches and have a global creative marketing network spanning 140 countries.
Mypitch.com starts its European roll-out of creative marketing crowdsourcing services this week (w/c 30th August) with the opening of offices in the UK, France, Poland, Austria, Spain in addition to its head office in Sweden.
It is good to see articles like this when community, collaborative or crowdsourcing marketing tools are beginning to emerge. They will quickly become mainstream as brand marketers see the benefits.
7:46AM on 30th August 2010
I've been amazed at the trajectory of crowdsourcing over the past year. When you can leverage the power of the world to create something amazing, why not?
In pondering such opportunities I created a social experiment crowdsourcing blog where a story is created by one sentence. Then I invite people to write the next line of the story by posting a comment. Its still in its birth phase but I am interested to see how far the story will go around the world.
If you are wondering what the story is about so far, its set in Sydney Australia about a guy named Chester who needs change in his life. He is disillusionded and aggravated by hypocrites.
If you're interested in writing the next line - please click on the link!
9:46AM on 7th September 2010
Nice Article! Only thing I'm missing is the videoplatform Brandfighters: young people who are creating video's for other young people: they made great stuff, check it out on www.brandfighters.com
5:06AM on 11th September 2010
One of the biggest issues with many design contest sites is their refund policy. A new website called www.klick360.com deals with this issue by offering a unique Satisfaction Guarantee where if the client is not happy with their contest they may extend it for an additional 7 days and up to 4 times. We believe this eliminates the need for a refund.
This makes designers happy and happy designers equate to happy clients!
4:09PM on 11th November 2010
Another interesting challenge that crowdsourcing can overcome is funding entrepreneurship.
Startups can join the crowd at Innovatrs.com, VCs and other investors can submit briefs and any crowdmember can send their executive summary to Innovatrs, with Innovatrs passing only the best couple on the investors!
10:51PM on 15th December 2010
Thanks for the info.
7:40AM on 27th January 2011
Chris,
Its a brilliant article to learn about crowdsrourcing with live examples and I appreciate the research done in the same.
But just wanted to add on to the list, other crowdsourcing models like paywithatweet.com for instance with a "Social Payment" system i.e., no money, just marketing.
How is that beneficial????
We agree it is more of marketing and we realise its importance as well but how will they compete and grow with no cash????
7:42AM on 20th February 2011
Cheers for the 99dedigns tip. I'll be making use of it I think - I need a logo and design isn't a strong suit of mine.
7:47PM on 30th April 2011
desklancer.com is the best crowd sourcing network i found
6:53PM on 12th June 2011
Looks like this crowd sourcing jobs bring an extra income,but can try as a full time as well.Thanks for the list
8:34AM on 28th June 2011
99tests is a crowdsouring application for Testing
1:10AM on 21st November 2011
Hatchwise.com and Squadhelp.com should be mentioned too. They are great places to get ideas, win and find skilled peeps :)
10:20PM on 22nd April 2012
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9:33AM on 26th June 2012
Yes, I'll agree to that but some projectiles were revealed by him in the finish. lol.. . Backpacking during the night in the dark is the only smart thing to do in a game similar to this if you're all alone. It is a lot better to cover an area the size of a door than it's a 360 degree? radius spot all over your self while not being able to see past 12 feet roughly. . . Activities like this are meant to be enjoyed pals, the more the superior. Being a loner is simply requesting trouble, particularly when you do dumb shit similar to this dude. lol
4:55PM on 13th July 2012
I observed that my iPhone 4s, because the last update, shows
100% charge for 20 minutes or extra of heavy usage. One thing is not correct with that.
8:28PM on 18th July 2012
Great blog you have here but I was wondering if you
knew of any message boards that cover the same topics talked about in this article?
I'd really like to be a part of online community where I can get feedback from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Many thanks!
4:17PM on 19th July 2012
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2:09AM on 21st July 2012
You absolutely have a point there, I have never
studied it like it like that before. You make it sound so interesting.
I am going to have to investigate this more!
11:58AM on 8th January 2013
Great resource! I realized there are so many out there and I did take many help from this useful website, i think this is good information for any beginners as well. And thanks for sharing!!!
5:46PM on 14th January 2013
It's hard to find knowledgeable people about this topic, but you sound like you know what you're talking about!
Thanks
1:18PM on 20th January 2013
Hi,
I would like to add to this list Pluralis - the crowd sourcing marketplace for conversion optimization, connecting online businesses with a community of creatives for the purpose of landing page optimization.
Thanks
4:29AM on 21st January 2013
InnoGalactic.com is a great new crowdsourcing resource. Ask or answer questions and earn points.
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