Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing comes from two words: crowd and outsourcing.

It's defined as a new way to outsource tasks to many persons (the crowd) through an open call, instead of working with contractors or external firms.

The crowdsourcing process groups several steps:
1- the firm has a problem
2- it broadcast it on the web
3- the users try to resolve this problem and submits their work
4- the firm votes on the best work and decide to implement it
5- the user who did this work is rewarded
6- the firm owns several solutions to create many scenarios
7- the firm makes huge profits

Elance is a crowdsourcing website which try to match freelancers with employers.
Freelancers provide their expertise in several fields (web programming ...etc) while employers ask for work to fulfill their needs.
The employer get many requests from many users and these experts start working on the defined task. The employer monitors several projects and decides at the end which one it will implement.
The users whose projects weren't accepted won't get paid while the chosen project's owner will get a remuneration.

Freelancers:
Advantages:
1- earn money
2- improve their work
3- get in touch with employers

Disadvantages:
1- get their work unapproved
2- work on a specific project without the benefits of a long-term career

Employers:
Advantages:
1- get their task done
2- get many projects and choose the best one
3- get their work done the fastest way
4- rely on the work of experts

Disadvantages:
1- the freelancer isn't motivated as the employees of the company
2- the freelancer won't work on the project the way an employee will do it: details might be omitted

Elance:
Advantages:
1- earn from the employers
2- crowdsourcing



Conclusion:

Crowdsourcing aims to provide several solutions, several points of view to the company. It engages the people. It supports the democratization concerning the chosen solutions and it works as a brainstorming session.

Crowdsourcing helps the company get more innovative ideas from the crowd (the consumers) and launch products with less marketing efforts.

Ex: DEWmocracy from Mountain Dew where the consumers worked on the packaging of the product, its taste, its colors ...etc


Please follow the link on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/wissamelkik/crowdsourcing-4000017