Online vs. Offline Crowdsourcing
C rowdsourcing is a concept that is gaining more and more momentum over the past few years, while traditional outsourcing is starting to become a thing of the past. However, the great debate poses the question- which is better? Traditional outsourcing works by seeking out a specific group or individual that is paid to perform a task or solve a problem. This is beneficial for companies because it connects them to people with the expertise they need to help them.
On the other hand, crowdsourcing does not seek out specific people to complete a task but instead, reaches out to the masses allowing everyone and anyone to contribute. This brings forth a variety of different experiences and skill sets from people with unique perspectives on how to solve a problem, which creates efficiency and better quality results.
There are two different ways crowdsourcing can be executed- online or offline. Online crowdsourcing is more common mainly due to the convenience factor because it allows anyone to contribute from any digital device.
Online Crowdsourcing: Wikipedia
An example of online crowdsourcing would be the website Wikipedia. This site functions on the ideas and information provided by the general public and their freedom to post what they please instead of paying writers, editors, publishers to do the work. As a result, this information outlet is considered to be the most informative and diverse encyclopedia out there today, and more than any other encyclopedia ever created. Therefore, the quality and quantity of information made available is superior to any other.
Offline Crowdsourcing: Public Policy Decision Making
Offline crowdsourcing is starting to gain momentum now too and is more effective in bringing people together to find common ground. An example of this, that is recently being introduced, is policy decision making. This takes the process of crowdsourcing and applying it to a government platform. Public policy and government are faced with challenges on a daily basis, so with all the success that crowdsourcing has proven to provide, many people believe that this concept can improve the current situation that these subjects are in. This includes providing more legitimacy and inclusiveness to the policy decision making process. Involving the public in these processes creates a feeling of unity, as opposed to a divide between government figures and citizens. It also allows for greater diversity and creation of more innovative ideas when dealing with policy decision making.
E ven though this concept of offline crowdsourcing is still new, there are a lot of positive outcomes that can result from applying it to policy making and government, especially in times of divide between and within nations.
