Crowdsourcing refers to the process of outsourcing jobs which were conventionally performed by a person employed or a person who contracts, to a community (a crowd) or a huge group of people or via an open call. It is also a technique used to get ideas and information from people. This is mostly undertaken over the web. The popularity of social media has given crowdsourcing a platform on which to grow further. The use of twitter specifically in crowdsourcing has expanded o unimaginable heights.
Why Twitter?
Twitter allows for one to crowdsource about absolutely anything from recommendations of stores to research. Many companies are now taking advantage of this informal platform to reach new audiences and reach their customers in a more personalized manner. There are two main ways of crowdsourcing on twitter:
Asking a question
A user can log into his or her twitter account and write a brief question in the text box. This is because twitter only allows 140 characters per tweet and a lengthy question may deter people from answering it. It is advisable to attach a retweet request at the end of the tweet and to make sure the question is as catchy as possible. When a follower retweets the question it will be shown in his network and this will maximize on the chances of capturing responses as his followers answer and retweet the question as well.
Use of Hashtags
The addition of relevant hashtags to the end of a message will definitely attract a wide audience. On twitter when a hashtag is attached to a word, the word becomes highlighted and thus it will attract attention and when a follower clicks on the hashtag, a list of all tweets related to the topic will instantly appear.
Pros of Twitter
Twitter has a wide reach; a user can get the responses of many people from different areas and backgrounds.
It is almost instantaneous. In a very short time, a user is able to generate many responses to a question or a topic.
Cons of Twitter
A twitter user can post information, and another person who sees this post may be able to take it and implement it, passing it off as his own. There is no way to ensure safeguarding of an individual’s information once it is in the public domain via tweets.
Contractors are encouraged to join twitter, follow people as well as build a credible reputation in order to attract followers. The benefits far outweigh the shortcomings of this social media platform. A good example of a successful crowdsourcing campaign is what occurred after a high magnitude earthquake hit the Island of Haiti. Twitpics were taken on mobile phones and uploaded onto twitter then shared with the whole world. They were transmitted both to the public and to established news organizations like CNN which could not otherwise gain access to the immediate pictures and videos of the devastating quake. Twitter has thus cemented its position among the best tools for crowdsourcing.
RSS
