Crowd Sourcing Success

By Author: Yasmin Knight
Total Articles: 4
Comment this article

The 'net époque is dominated by crowd-sourcing. People-power is based on taking advantage of the information of other people to build up a product or an innovationidea, and it is ubiquitous. In some situations, taking over from existing versions of client support.

A good example is the mobile phone company GiffGaff which sells customers Sim only deals, and gathers ideas and tips from all parts of its user network. The website's message boards are full of ideas for how to develop the products they provide and get more return for your cash.

The company has also found new processes in the way it releases different services. Thoughts are tested in the community, and then either withdrawn, or taken further and made into a new package.

But then, crowd sourcing is not a new invention, and has been the cause of many much more solid and trustable products than those provided by big enterprises. Linux is one famous version of cost-free, open source software that is used for everything its more costly rival can do and much more.

In other parts of the net there are massive successes due to people power. Forums ...
... and communities keep an eye on industries like online casinos and poker tables, they produce guitar tabs, they have helped create global DIY websites, and other sites such as the 'How to' group which are used by millions every day.

Furthermore, there are holiday advice websites, where customers review trips or hotels that they've stayed in. This is a wonderful way of making sure that a place is good before you go.

Maybe the most successful examples of crowd sourcing are Amazon and eBay, a couple of the net’s biggest companies. The whole idea of buying from an individual you've never seen before relies on trust, and this trust relies on the experiences (and positive reviews of others).

The web is the perfect tool for widespread participation, and when a business can to combine crowd sourcing with providing a top class service, you can be sure they're onto a winner.

James Gray is a freelance business journalist who specliases in innovative internet marketing strategies. He recommends GiffGaff for great Sim only deals.