by Kevin Dodds
Often, a company has had one of two experiences with crowdsourcing on their own. They have either been frustrated by poor data generated by an unwieldy crowd or they have simply been unable to gather consistent results. When those companies go to an expert in managed crowdsourcing, they typically start with a small test of 10,000 to 50,000 records—depending upon the size and type of data, and limited understanding of the unique benefits well-managed crowdsourcing can offer. So, what really wows them when it comes to the crowd?
Flexibility
The crowd can perform a wide variety of tasks: locating URLs, confirming email addresses, gathering telephone numbers, moderating photos, or geocoding (determining latitude and longitude of a particular location). Nearly any reasonable data point that can be researched on the Internet can be collected or confirmed by the crowd.
Control and Transparency
Managing the worker pool, critical to successful crowdsourcing campaigns, is another remarkable aspect of crowdsourcing. First, it’s important, but easy, to choose the best group for the job. There are Master workers for data categorization and for data moderation, as well as general crowds that tend to lean toward specific repetitive tasks. Second, monitoring the pool during the data campaign by rewarding excellent workers and removing poor performers ensures a high-quality end product.
Speed
The thing about crowdsourcing that really wows a client is something that has always fascinated humankind. Speed. Whether marveling at a cheetah, a race car, or the Space Shuttle, human beings have always been mystified and elated by speed. With crowdsourcing, it’s no different. Once a HIT template and data gathering system are designed, and there is a successful and repeatable data quality assurance process, clients are bug-eyed at the turnaround time experience brings to the table. The beautiful thing is that there is nothing frantic about it. It is highly controlled and monitored…and it’s fast.
Experience Matters
Like a sleek sports car, the crowdsourcing machine is only as skilled and experienced as its driver. Hitting the wall at full speed is no fun! Flying around the track driving fast and smart is the approach that will save your neck. Managed crowdsourcing takes advantage of the skill and experience that project managers have gained from performing many different variations of “crowded” assignments and tasks, and know how to streamline process for the most efficient possible turnaround time and accurate product.
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