One of the companies I coached recently introduced me to a website that I think is totally cool. CrowdSpring.com is a crowdsourcing application that lets companies post a project that they want done in the creative arena (visual design), and have multiple parties submit their concepts. Another I just found is LogoTournament.com.
For startups, this is a fantastic way to get a great logo on the cheap, to leverage other peoples' time to develop marketing materials, ads, stationery, websites, etc. I LOVE THIS! It has triggered a new stream of thinking for me about how to apply crowdsourcing to entrepreneurial needs like business plan writing, market research, copywriting, and more. LivePerson.com provides some of this functionality but is driven by the purchaser after wading through profiles - so technically, it's not crowdsourcing.
Crowdsourcing is a book recently authored by Jeff Howe. He defines Crowdsourcing on his site thus:
"Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call."
To learn more about crowdsourcing, you can get Jeff's book here:
Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business
Crowdsourcing has been enabled by the Internet, and is a great Big Idea to think about. Think Big about how you could use this concept in your business!
