What is crowdsourcing?

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This new term was used for the first time by Jeff Howe, an American author and journalist. Based on the mobilization of a community, crowdsourcing is an alternative way to group our strengths and skills in order to create value in our life or in business. It is all about being aware of our collective power while transforming the economy. The principle of sharing has always existed on a small scale with a group of friends or family, if we take the example of the tontine and micro-credit. It is now globalized thanks to the emergence of social networks that helped give it a rebirth and economic legitimacy.

Jeff Howe describes this economic revolution in these terms: “take the work usually performed by an employee and outsource via an open invitation to a large number of people using the Internet generally.” The power of the mass is essential. In the past, we had necessarily to be physically together in a place.

Today, thanks to the Net, the group concept is virtual and the number of people affected by shared interests and shared passions takes a different scale through social networks.

The example of Wikipedia actually allows us to understand this principle. Indeed, thousands of contributors provide us free real-time information.
The benefits of crowdsourcing enable lower cost, greater speed of execution and increased productivity.

By Betty Sulty-Johnson.