Crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing is a sourcing model in which individuals or organizations obtain goods and services. These services include ideas and finances, from a large, relatively open and often rapidly-evolving group of internet users; it divides work between participants to achieve a cumulative result. The word crowdsourcing itself is a portmanteau of crowd and outsourcing, and was coined in 2005.[1][2][3][4] As a mode of sourcing, crowdsourcing existed prior to the digital age (i.e. "offline").[5] There are major differences between crowdsourcing and outsourcing. Crowdsourcing comes from a less-specific, more public group, whereas outsourcing is commissioned from a specific, named group, and includes a mix of bottom-up and top-down processes.[6][7][8] Advantages of using crowdsourcing may include improved costs, speed, quality, flexibility, scalability, or diversity.[9][10] Definitions[edit] In a February 1, 2008, article, Daren C. Historical examples[edit] Timeline of major events[edit] G.
Amazon Mechanical Turk: Best Practices Guide How to password protect folders Reader James McCormick desires a way to password protect multiple files at one go. He writes: Is there a way to password protect a folder that holds Word or Excel files? I know I can password protect a file, but it would be easier and less involved to protect a folder over protecting many files. You can password protect any folder by turning that folder into an encrypted disk image. Create your folder full of documents and launch Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities). Click Save and Disk Utility will prompt you to enter and verify a password. Click OK and Disk Utility will create the encrypted image. To access the contents of the encrypted image, double-click it, enter the password you assigned, and wait while the image mounts. That’s all well and good if you don’t intend to add a lot more files to this folder, as it won’t grow to accommodate those new files. Sparse images are images of a user-determined size that consume only as much storage as is used by the content in the image.
Crowdsourcing.org Microwork Microwork is a series of small tasks which together comprise a large unified project, and are completed by many people over the Internet. [1] [2] Microwork is considered the smallest unit of work in a virtual assembly line. [3] It is most often used to describe tasks for which no efficient algorithm has been devised, and require human intelligence to complete reliably. The term was developed in 2008 by Leila Chirayath Janah of Samasource. [4] [5] Microtasking[edit] Microtasking is the process of splitting a job into its component microwork and distributing this work over the Internet. Since the inception of microwork, many online services have been developed that specialize in different types of microtasking. Most of them rely on a large, voluntary workforce composed of Internet users from around the world. Microtasks are distinguished from macrotasks which typically can be done independently, they require a fixed amount of time and they require a specialized skill. Services[edit]
Bands | Mobile App Challenge Home Latest App News Run Your Own Contest Blog Twitter Facebook YouTube Sign Up To Our Mailing List apple iOS BlackBerry Windows Phone android Privacy Policy Sorry, Nothing Here by That Name <a href=' Toolbar by Wibiya</a> Wiwi Title Powered by Close window Minimize Toolbar Select Language ▲ Click here to learn more about this bar Original text Contribute a better translation 5 Sites and Apps To Help You Create The Perfect Table Plan- San Francisco Events | ABCey Events Posted by Cecilie Wrye It’s the dreaded task. You have finished the invites, lined up the vendors, and now the unavoidable….time to make the seating chart. We know how much hard work goes into creating the best seating chart. Here at ABCey, we are dedicated to making things easier for all you party planners out there! We’ve compiled a list of our top 5 favorite apps and sites that will help make this task a bit less daunting. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
The central platform for crowdsourcing US Government challenges, contests, competitions and open innovation prizes | Challenge.gov Crowdsourcing's Champions (GE, OMC, SNE, WEN) Crowdsourcing is all the rage these days, another aspect of the cloud computing proliferation that has companies doing crazy things. Even if you have never heard of it, you have probably purchased a product that was developed using crowdsourcing or have been directly involved yourself. Crowdsourcing is the outsourcing of idea generation or tasks that would normally be tackled by employed workers or contractors for a particular company. The task or idea is outsourced to the masses via the Internet or social media technology. Crowdsourcing can be more than just a task or an idea. See, crowdsourcing is fun and it can be very profitable and cost favorable for many companies. salesforce.com (Nasdaq: CRM ) Salesforce.com is one of the undisputed leaders in the cloud computing space, and it has used its expertise to build and acquire successful crowdsourcing ideas and applications.
Choosing a Frequent Flyer Program" Frequent flyer programs are the beginning of a relationship -- hopefully long and loyal -- between you (the consumer) and the airline. If you choose to apply online using a Web site such as WebFlyer, your information will reside in several airline databases in a short amount of time. You can call the airlines on their toll-free telephone numbers (during which you'll instantly get a member number), sign up while at the airport (not advisable if you are in a rush), or send in the registration form using the old standby -- U.S. mail. There are several things to consider when deciding which frequent flyer program to join. If you truly are a frequent flyer, join the program that will allow you to consolidate your miles. However, if you are an infrequent flyer, compare the programs and choose the one that allows you the greatest opportunities to earn miles or points for all your non-flight activities. It may be your membership, but it's the airline's program -- hence, they own it.
Solver Develops Solution to Help Clean Up Remaining Oil From the 1989 Exxon Valdez Disaster Boston, MA and Cordova, AK - November 7, 2007 - InnoCentive, the leader in prize-based Open Innovation sourcing, is helping to make a positive impact on Environmental Conservation by working with the Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) and other conservation groups. OSRI has posted 3 Challenges on the InnoCentive website, all dealing with oil spill recovery issues. The first of these challenges was solved last week by an oil industry outsider who used his expertise in the concrete industry to come up with the winning solution. John Davis, an InnoCentive Solver from the Central United States, was awarded $20,000 for his creative solution. This first OSRI Challenge required a method for separating oil from water on oil recovery barges after the oil and water had frozen to a viscous mass. Having no background in the oil industry, John applied his expertise and proposed using an existing product commonly used in the concrete industry.
Crowdsourcing specific microtasks Since the first-ever Mechanical Turk meetup a year ago, there has been an explosion in crowdsourcing services and a well-attended conference in San Francisco. I remain enthusiastic about crowdsourcing, but the number of companies has me worried about quality of work. Fortunately specialization is already occurring, so for particular tasks there are companies out there ready to provide high-quality service. One company that recently caught my eye is Helsinki (and SF) based Microtask. Founded by Computer Graphics (CG) and Computer Vision (CV) veterans, Microtask has chosen to focus in a few areas where CG and CV are relevant. A few things about the Microtask platform are worth highlighting. Using call-center workers is novel but crowdsourcing seems increasingly tied to social gaming and virtual currencies. (*) It’s useful to remember that these are simple tasks (e.g., OCR) involving the validation of outputs generated using machine-learning.
Starting a New Job as an Independent Contractor I've noticed a lot of people are taking jobs as an independent contractor, sometimes to supplement their income, and sometimes as a way to build a career as their own boss. I'm generally in favor of people being their own boss. It's a rewarding career path and can pay off financially. Nonetheless I do get concerned, and perhaps a little protective, when I hear from new college graduates and other people just entering the workforce that a company is going to treat them as independent contractors. Sometimes this is legitimate, but sometimes this is a move on the part of companies to avoid paying payroll taxes at the expense of their workers. A comment left on the post "What's Form W-9?" The question asked was this: "Hi, I am a fresh grad with no idea about this income tax thing. The reader's question is reasonable, not at all stupid. For example, if I hire a Web designer to redesign my site, I would ask them to fill out a W-9. More information:
Icelanders approve their crowdsourced constitution — European technology news