DigitalFanGirl

This is a question that’s been on my mind for quite some time now. I remember sometime last year (or maybe it was 2007), people were falling all over themselves about crowdsourcing. I admit; I payed little attention. I find myself not getting so excited over “new words” because they generally turn into mush after the luster begins to dull. But I kept hearing it and it prompted me to do a little research on just what the heck crowdsouring is.

According to Wikipedia:

Crowdsourcing is a neologism for the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people or community in the form of an open call. For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task (also known as community-based design^[1] and distributed participatory design), refine or carry out the steps of an algorithm (see Human-based computation), or help capture, systematize or analyze large amounts of data (see also citizen science).

The term has become popular with business authors and journalists as shorthand for the trend of leveraging the mass collaboration enabled by Web 2.0 technologies to achieve business goals. However, both the term and its underlying business models have attracted controversy and criticism.

As I read this, one line really stuck out like a sore thumb to me [the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people or community in the form of an open call]. I said to myself; self, this sounds a lot like spec work and the act of spec work is a big NO NO. So, I began to wonder why people were praising the act of crowdsourcing, but damning the act of spec work, which in my mind as I read this definition of crowdsourcing  and spec work, appears to be the same thing.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the world of spec work, shall we. This is taken directly from No!Spec  and this short article sums up what spec work is.

What is Spec?

What is ‘working on speculation?’

By Elisabetta Bruno of ThinkCreation

What is “spec?”

“Spec” has become the short form for any work done on a speculative basis. In other words, any requested work for which a fair and reasonable fee has not been agreed upon, preferably in writing.

What’s so wrong with that?

In a nutshell, spec requires the designer to invest time and resources with no guarantee of payment.

Isn’t it wise for a client to “try before they buy?”

On the surface it may seem so. But, digging a bit deeper, one realizes that professional graphic design is about creating custom solutions, not cookie-cutter concepts.

But, with today’s computers and software, how long could it take?

This is a common point-of-view for many who confuse the professional with his or her tools. The “process” is more than simply tapping at a keyboard or clicking a mouse. It’s about understanding the nature of a communication challenge and then using one’s brain to find the appropriate solution.

At the end of the day, there is a certain irony in spec work. A prospect requesting it is ultimately saying, “My project isn’t important enough to hire a professional who will take the time to understand my situation and goals and invest the time needed to create a suitable solution.”

Now,  looking at the definitions for crowdsourcing and spec work, they read the same.  I mean, you’ve read this post to this point; do you see anything different in terms of what these terms actually mean? So, I ask the question again. What is so good about crowdsourcing? What is so good about asking people to create something with NO GUARANTEE of getting paid? When did we enter an age where experience, professionalism and time goes without value? I’m confused. Maybe you can shed some light on this for me. I keep hearing people say it’s the power of community, but I gotta be honest. It feels like a scam and it seems like people [not really sure who these people are] have slapped the term “crowdsourcing” on the act of spec work and have made it sexy by relating it to web 2.0.  But at the end of the day {according to the definitions of both crowdsourcing and spec work} they do the exact same thing.

People speak of crowdsourcing as if a business is absolutely incapabale of acquiring services unless they crowdsource it. This is ridiculous! On the other hand; from the perspective of a business, crowdsourcing is the best thing since sliced bread. Why? Hummm, let me count the ways:

1. They DON’T have to hire any in-house graphic designers or web designers/developers (because they’ve crowdsourced those services)
2. The DON’T have to hire any market researchers (because they’re relying on the acation of ”voting” from the crowd)
3. They DON’T have to hire any advertising professionals (because the contest gets plenty of traffic on the web or at least they hope it creates enough buzz)
4. They DON’T have to hire an R&D department (because  the online work (design or whatever) takes the place of research & development)

So, let’s break that down – graphic designers, web designers & developers, marketing AND advertising professionals as well as R&D professionals will have less jobs to compete for because crowdsourcing has alleviated the need for ALL of these positions. I don’t claim to be part of the Mensa organization, but this doesn’t sound good to me and it certainly doesn’t attract me. Am I missing something? I know someone is going to mention this power of community bs again [I just know it], but what the hell does that really mean? So, all of you folks who went to college and got degreed in design, marketing, advertising, business, etc. and are buried in student loan debt (at least most of you) can barely bank on getting a job because companies are choosing to go the crowdsourcing route??? There goes the motivation to get a higher education or to even strive to be educated or well equipped in a certain area. Maybe, I’ve taken that too far, but maybe not. That remains to be seen.

At this moment in time, crowdsourcing leaves a nasty taste in my mouth and outside of the obvious hype surrounding it, it sounds, smells and feels like spec work and I just can’t get excited about it. Although crowdsourcing is not new per say, I think it’s still an open concept and has the potential to change with the wind. So, I’ll have to sit back and watch how it transforms.

What do you think about crowdsourcing? If you think crowdsourcing is a good thing; state your position on that.  What do you think people mean when they talk about the power of community? Is crowdsourcing just a fancy web 2.0 term for spec work? State your thoughts here.