In the Everyday-Crowd
Our planet has 7.347 billion bright individuals. Each with their own varying capacity for creative and analytical thought. Each with infinite solutions in a universe with infinite problems. However, many are convinced that these ideas are to remain only in conversation and not in reality. There is a false assumption that to share your solutions with various organizations, you need to be a highly-qualified and skilled individual. We don’t agree. The issue is not that we don’t have the expertise to solve the problems across the globe, rather that everyday people lack avenues for their ingenious ideas to be executed.
Fortunately, that would not be valid. Crowdsourcing has proven to be the exact path for having innovative ideas expressed in reality for over 300 years.
The Longitude Prize hosted by the British government took place in 1714. The goal was to determine a method for determining the longitude of a ship while at sea. John Harrison was the most notable winner, who designed the chronometer- allowing people to pinpoint their exact position at sea. Even by today’s standards, he was not the expected winner. He was not a seaman nor an astronomer, in fact, he was a clockmaker. However, his idea was an innovative yet simple solution which opened the global economy by making sea travel a safer activity.
Flash forward 200 years to 1916. Planters Peanuts sponsored a public contest for a company logo,
The winning entry was submitted but a14-year-old Virginia Schoolboy, Antonio Gentile. Planters had awarded him $5.00, and his sketch of a peanut with arms and legs and became the Mr. Peanut we know and love today.
In 2017, crowdsourcing has become a buzzword. Companies are increasingly using it as the premier way to obtain the best solution for every type of problem. In fact, some have turned it into a socially beneficial business. Waze, a crowd based GPS allows the everyday commuter report real-time traffic and road info. They’ve gamified the driving experience for everyone on the road, all by empowering everyday people to participate in contributing. Goodbye to the days of surprise animals on the road or cars parked on the shoulder ahead.
Ideas are not limited to those who’ve pursued the skills and qualifications in any particular field. Often, the most impactful solution is from an unlikely individual. Try on some courage, and submit your solutions to one of the many crowdsourcing projects open on HeroX.com.
https://longitudeprize.org/about-us/history
http://www.planters.com/en/get-to-know-planters/planters-through-the-years
