Operators of online shops generally use large amounts of crowd generated content. Product descriptions are the most common form of requested content. Basically every operator needs a website with high quality content for its offers. Either by using the additional information to distinguish themselves from competitors, to reach top positions in search engine rankings and / or to bind visitors and offer them added value. Hotel portals and reservation platforms or the websites of large hotel chains can greatly benefit from crowdsourcing and the creation of high quality content.
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In microworking users are given mini tasks, which cannot be processed by computers. Complex tasks are often divided into small individual jobs that are put back together again at the end of the project. The payment the users receive for these simple tasks, which includes searching for an address or telephone number or tagging content and products, is nominal.
The term is composed of the words “crowd” and “outsourcing.” It originally attracted attention in 2006, when the American journalist, Jeff Howe, published his article “The Rise of Crowdsourcing” in “Wired” magazine. Howe ascribes the origins of crowdsourcing to the open-source movement and predicts a radical development with regard to the future production of goods in terms of the manufacturing process, the persons participating as well as the costs involved. The journalist, who, in 2008, also published the book “Crowdsourcing – Why the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business”, sees crowdsourcing as a process in which a company locates volunteers who are willing to process specific tasks via the Internet. The companies benefit from outsourcing internal tasks to a crowd of outsiders.
There are several factors that come to mind when one considers what online shop operators need to observe in order to be successful. These factors are generally related to the technical, usability, search engine optimization and web design sectors. However, the fact that websites are always an important dialogue-marketing medium and that persuasive sales copy is essential to high conversion is often ignored.
A good briefing on the part of the customer is the key to success for the realization of projects. This is especially true for crowdsourcing projects that are handled by numerous persons who generally do not have a personal contact to the customer and who have to rely on the briefing for the correct implementation of their tasks. A good briefing therefore ensures that all of those involved know exactly what to do, what the customer wants, and what the results are expected to look like. The briefing is therefore an essential quality factor for the implementation of crowdsourcing projects. With this in mind, this newsletter will provide some tips for your next text orders at clickworker about how to draft your briefing for our authors. These tips include what you ought to pay attention to, as well as what information must be specified. The most difficult challenge is to provide our authors with relevant information while keeping it brief and straightforward: long briefings tend to be demotivating.