Poor Mans Crowdsourcing

So what is crowdsourcing?  Here is an overview from Wikipedia.

Perceived benefits of crowdsourcing include:

• Problems can be explored at comparatively little cost.
• Payment is by results.
• The organization can tap a wider range of talent than might be present in its own organization.

The difference between crowdsourcing and ordinary outsourcing is that a task or problem is outsourced to the public, rather than another body. The difference between crowdsourcing and open source is that open source production is a cooperative activity initiated and voluntarily undertaken by members of the public. In crowdsourcing the activity is initiated by a client, and the work may be undertaken on an individual, as well as a group, basis.

For me it is all about getting information about all the different v-twin bikes out there so I can make products and pass on accurate information to my customers.  When a new product comes out (like 2008 Harley touring bikes) compatibility issues are very important.  So, how you do you get a bunch of info about a bunch of different bikes in a relatively short period of time?  Crowdsource.  In a business where web participation is a little low compared to other technical industries, crowdsourcing is not so easy.  Here is my super secret for gathering data from the public.  Answer the Damn Phone!  Motorcycle people are eager to share info and first hand experience and this is a great way to get a question answered, so take advantage of it.  In a world with an endless stream of tele-marketers and the ease of automation it is really easy to put phone calls on the back burner, but there is really no substitute for picking up live calls.  So if you are in business and you are serious about doing a great job, carve out some time to answer the phones, its worth it.

~ by vtwinshow on Friday,May 9, 2008.