CrowdSourcing really is a Part of YOU!

CrowdSourcing

I’ve often heard that I write less about crowd sourcing and more about everything else. It’s not that I’m avoiding it, but I’m also here to tell you how the problems related to “everything else” can be solved using crowdsourcing, and how crowdsourcing has made world a better place. There is some or the other form of crowdsourcing in every facet of our lives. It’s been around for centuries; so to say that someone back in 2006 thought of the concept is wrong. It’s nothing more than a group effort to come up with the best possible solution to a problem; be it about design of logos or web page ecommerce. This technique of problem resolution has been used from time immemorial. It’s just out in the open now and getting the full respect and attention it deserves. The thing is, whatever you say or feel about crowdsourcing, you cannot deny the fact that it’s a part of human nature and leads you to work socially for the greater human good.

Crowd: We Are Alive & Kickin

Crowd Sourcing

Few days back,  I read an article on user-generated revolution, which predicted (not again!) the death of the practice of Crowd Sourcing and went on to add that it’s passé since users are not interested in it anymore, and cites falling numbers of editors for Wikipedia’s content as an example!

So, does it mean an end to crowdsourced services like freelance translation services among several others? Well, more and more web based services these days are vying for user attention, but using Wikipedia’s so-called decline as a premise to presume the demise of crowdsourcing is downright irrational & stupid. Firstly, unlike Wikipedia, crowdsourcing companies do reward the people who take part in online challenges, so people get paid for their hard work but I must also add that for most of the participants, money is not the prime reason they participate. It’s more about the passion, which eventually makes them want to excel in whatever they do. Finally, sharing and helping each other is human nature and crowdsourcing isn’t dying till we continue to work for the greater good.

Tips to Stave off the Freelancing Stress

Translation Services

Freelance translation services, at most times, can be challenging and nerve-wracking. The work flow, to say the least, lacks consistency. If it’s your day, you’ll have enough work to make you jostle your way to the deadlines. But dry and unproductive times can last for days or even months, with no end in sight. This could be devastating for your work-life balance. No work could mean, no money to pay your bills resulting in mental strain & stress. But all is not lost, to overcome the freelance translation challenges go through the following points and lemme know what you think.

• Market Yourself – Facing slowdowns or “no work” is part & parcel of freelancing, but the frequency can be reduced by endlessly marketing and selling your freelancing services.

• Planning is the Key – Doing more than necessary can be a stressor. Having too much on your plate can kill your business and its credibility. Therefore plan carefully & well in advance to avoid stress.

• Having Financial Buffer is a Must - “Prevention is better than cure.” Hence, keeping a financial buffer can be a stress buster during recessionary times.

FLIRTing With Crowdsourcing

CrowdSourcing

Electronic media has transformed our society and crowdsourcing has evolved from its modest roots to a growth engine for various industries worldwide, contributing enough dollars to keep the digital economy afloat in a post-recessionary world.  This has been possible because the internet has lowered the costs and has removed the barriers that had existed earlier, and has in turn allowed self-employed masses from all over the world to uncork their potential in handling freelance projects.

Companies today are using the power of the crowds or their customers to create important marketing, branding or product development breakthroughs, and social shopping is one such revelation. The FLIRT model of crowdsourcing by Sami Viitamäki of Finland fits this new phenomenon perfectly. FLIRT stands for:

•    Focus
•    Language
•    Incentives
•    Rules
•    Tools

The model demystifies the role of each player in the crowdsourcing ecosystem and offers strategies that could be used by crowdsourcing companies like CrowdThinkTank. It’s a model that anyone managing group organization and communication should not miss.

Crowdsourcing is the Future

Crowd Sourcing

We humans, especially graphic design designers, are a peculiar little species. They’re limited by impermanence, occupy a lilliputian space on a planet that goes around one of innumerable stars, with scale and intricacies they do not have the means to understand – and yet, they act like they are God & can predict the future, in this case: Future of Crowdsourcing!

Crowdsourcing, for the uninitiated, is a simple act of grouping people from various parts of the world to get the work done for a fee. It’s something humankind is doing from the time immemorial but today the social crowdsourcing web has attained a more substantial character. But most design agencies are audaciously predicting that crowdsourcing will die sooner than later, disregarding the fact that this industry has survived recession successfully and is thriving beyond sustainability. One of the major reasons for criticism against crowd-sourcing by major design agencies is – FEAR! Fear because crowdsourcing undermines all the established graphic design designers and their potential work. But being terrified and panicky is not an adequate reason to contradict a rising movement. Regardless of what these obstructionists feel, the reality is that crowd-sourcing is a growing trend which is hard to reverse now.