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Crowdsourcing on websites like Mechanical Turk rises and falls in reputation with the net group frequently. It has its benefits and downsides for each the companies selecting to go this route over hiring common distant staff and the distant staff that flip to those websites for somewhat further money.
What’s Crowdsourcing?
The naked bones definition of crowdsourcing is getting a bunch of individuals collectively to get one thing finished. The “one thing” on this case is operating a enterprise. Somewhat than a small group of individuals engaged on the day-to-day duties, there could also be a big group of individuals every finishing one small job. This man is designing a brand. That man is posting to Fb. The woman over there’s writing advert copy. Tomorrow, all of these staff could change although the duties stay the identical.
There are a variety of how this could work and simply as some ways it might pay. Some websites pay per job whereas others could pay for outcomes solely. The entire setup has its perks and downsides.
Benefits
There are normally no commitments with these websites. Choose up duties as your schedule permits. Subsequently, they could be a standard choice for “filler work” when your consumer workload is slim.
Disadvantages
Simply as you haven’t any dedication to the positioning or the purchasers, they’ll seemingly really feel little if any dedication to you. We aren’t simply speaking about workload right here, but additionally pay – which might be going to be fairly low.
In some circumstances, the pay will be fairly excessive. That is particularly the case with crowdsourced contest websites, however there are not any ensures you’ll win the competition for which you invested plenty of time, power and energy.
Record of Crowdsourcing Web sites
There are a selection of websites on the market for freelancers of each specialty. Some websites provide brand creation or web site identify contests. Others give attention to micro duties. You may even put your artwork expertise to the problem and design somebody a brand new tattoo!
99Designs – brand & internet design
blurGroup – design, know-how, advertising
CastingWords – transcription
Clickworker – microtasks
CreateMyTattoo – tattoos
Crowdspring – design and web site naming
Crowdsource – writing, enhancing, transcription and microtasks
Fancy Fingers – private assistant-type duties
FieldAgent – app-based, native work just like thriller procuring
Fiverr – microtasks
Microworkers – microtasks
Mturk – microtasks
NamingForce – enterprise names
Poptent – video commercials
Squadhelp – microtasks & contests
Threadless – t-shirt design
Tongal – commercials
Interview with Tongal Employees Julia Lee and Tina Ragel
Please inform us somewhat about Tongal.
Julia: Tongal is a good website for artistic individuals to placed on their greatest Don Draper hat and to pitch an thought for a industrial (normally 140 character-long entry, the dimensions of a tweet) on to firms resembling LEGO, Olay and Barbie. In case your thought is chosen, you’ll be able to win cash for the preliminary thought, and if a filmmaker wins with a video based mostly in your thought, you additionally win a 5% residual quantity. In case you are a filmmaker, you can even compete within the video phases for the potential for much more prize cash.
What made you determine to enroll in the positioning?
Julia: At first, I assumed Tongal was a rip-off as a result of it simply sounded means too good to be true, so I informed my boyfriend about it, since he was already competing in so many writing contests on the time. Inside a couple of months, he received cash off the positioning for an thought. So I assumed, “What may I lose?” I truly received $1,000 for the primary thought contest I ever entered. I used to be immediately hooked. 4 years later, over $30K, I nonetheless take pleasure in competing.
Tina: I’ve all the time loved aggressive contests” the place you’ll be able to improve your probabilities of successful by working onerous and doing a superb job. You may’t do this with a sweepstakes or a drawing.
Again in 2009, I used to be trying to find video contests on-line. I stumbled upon Tongal. Their contest was uniquely structured in levels. It began with an Thought Part and the successful concepts would then be used as a foundation for the subsequent stage, the Video Part. So with nothing to lose, I submitted an thought and it received first place – $1000.
How a lot cash have you ever been in a position to make to place in direction of your vacation procuring objectives?
Julia: To date this yr, I’ve received virtually $5,000, so I’ll in all probability put a minimum of $1,000 of it to go in direction of vacation procuring. My boyfriend and I simply had a wonderful child woman in June, so most of our successful goes in direction of diapers and child provides.
Tina: This yr I’ve received over $3000 and I’ve saved $1000 in winnings to place in direction of vacation procuring.
What are your greatest suggestions for these wanting to enroll with Tongal?
Julia: My greatest recommendations on competing on Tongal are: 1) ALWAYS learn the briefs completely, 2) Do a little analysis by yourself by trying out the Sponsor’s web site/Fb web page/YouTube channel so as to get a greater sense of their merchandise and firm’s tone, 3) For those who don’t succeed at first, preserve making an attempt many times, 4) Usually, because you get 3 – 5 entries, it’s best to all the time put in 1 wacky thought and 1 simple thought since you simply by no means actually know which means a Sponsor will go, and 5) Take into consideration essentially the most memorable commercials you’ve seen and check out to determine why these specific commercials stayed with you, whether or not it was the humor or cinematography or message. Attempt to replicate it with your personal twist, based mostly on what the Sponsor is searching for.
How can we join and what’s the applying course of like?
Julia: It’s fairly easy. You simply need to be a minimum of 13 years previous and have an e-mail deal with. Go to Tongal.com and join as we speak.
Have you ever ever tried a crowdsourcing web site? Inform us about it within the feedback.