Crowdsourcing on websites like Mechanical Turk rises and falls in recognition with the net neighborhood regularly. It has its benefits and downsides for each the companies selecting to go this route over hiring common distant employees and the distant employees 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 achieved. The “one thing” on this case is operating a enterprise. Relatively 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 emblem. That man is posting to Fb. The woman over there may be writing advert copy. Tomorrow, all of these employees could change although the duties stay the identical.
There are a variety of how this could work and simply as some ways it could actually pay. Some websites pay per job whereas others could pay for outcomes solely. The entire setup has its perks and disadvantages.
Benefits
There are normally no commitments with these websites. Choose up duties as your schedule permits. Subsequently, they could be a standard possibility for “filler work” when your consumer workload is slim.
Disadvantages
Simply as you don’t have any dedication to the positioning or the purchasers, they are going to 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 instances, the pay may 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 a whole lot of time, vitality and energy.
Record of Crowdsourcing Web sites
There are a number of web sites on the market for freelancers of each specialty. Some websites provide emblem creation or web site identify contests. Others give attention to micro duties. You possibly can even put your artwork expertise to the problem and design somebody a brand new tattoo!
99Designs – emblem & internet design
blurGroup – design, know-how, advertising
CastingWords – transcription
Clickworker – microtasks
CreateMyTattoo – tattoos
Crowdspring – design and web site naming
Crowdsource – writing, modifying, transcription and microtasks
Fancy Arms – 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 Staff Julia Lee and Tina Ragel
Please inform us somewhat about Tongal.
Julia: Tongal is a superb website for artistic folks to placed on their greatest Don Draper hat and to pitch an thought for a industrial (normally 140 character-long entry, the scale of a tweet) on to corporations reminiscent of 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. If you’re a filmmaker, it’s also possible to compete within the video phases for the potential of 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 number of months, he received cash off the positioning for an thought. So I assumed, “What might I lose?” I really 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 at all times loved aggressive contests” the place you’ll be able to enhance your possibilities of successful by working onerous and doing a very good job. You possibly can’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 phases. It began with an Thought Section and the successful concepts would then be used as a foundation for the subsequent stage, the Video Section. So with nothing to lose, I submitted an thought and it received first place – $1000.
How a lot cash have you ever been capable of make to place in the direction of your vacation procuring objectives?
Julia: To this point this 12 months, I’ve received nearly $5,000, so I’ll most likely put not less than $1,000 of it to go in the direction of vacation procuring. My boyfriend and I simply had a stupendous child woman in June, so most of our successful goes in the direction of diapers and child provides.
Tina: This 12 months I’ve received over $3000 and I’ve saved $1000 in winnings to place in the direction of vacation procuring.
What are your greatest suggestions for these wanting to enroll with Tongal?
Julia: My greatest tips about competing on Tongal are: 1) ALWAYS learn the briefs totally, 2) Perform some research by yourself by testing the Sponsor’s web site/Fb web page/YouTube channel with the intention to get a greater sense of their merchandise and firm’s tone, 3) When you don’t succeed at first, maintain making an attempt repeatedly, 4) Usually, because you get 3 – 5 entries, it’s best to at all times put in 1 wacky thought and 1 easy 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 explicit commercials stayed with you, whether or not it was the humor or cinematography or message. Attempt to replicate it with your individual twist, based mostly on what the Sponsor is on the lookout for.
How can we enroll and what’s the applying course of like?
Julia: It’s fairly easy. You simply need to be not less than 13 years previous and have an e-mail handle. Go to Tongal.com and enroll immediately.
Have you ever ever tried a crowdsourcing web site? Inform us about it within the feedback.
