After studying more than 40 definitions of crowdsourcing in the scientific and popular literature, Enrique Estellés-Arolas and Fernando González Ladrón-de-Guevara, researchers at the Technical University of Valencia, developed a new integrating definition: Ĭrowdsourcing can either take an explicit or an implicit route. Guth and Brabham found that the performance of ideas offered in crowdsourcing platforms are affected not only by their quality, but also by the communication among users about the ideas, and presentation in the platform itself. Brabham defined crowdsourcing as an "online, distributed problem-solving and production model." Kristen L. The crucial prerequisite is the use of the open call format and the large network of potential laborers.ĭaren C. This can take the form of peer-production (when the job is performed collaboratively), but is also often undertaken by sole individuals. Simply defined, crowdsourcing represents the act of a company or institution taking a function once performed by employees and outsourcing it to an undefined (and generally large) network of people in the form of an open call. Howe published a definition for the term in a blog post in June 2006: The term crowdsourcing was coined in 2006 by Jeff Howe and Mark Robinson, editors at Wired, to describe how businesses were using the Internet to " outsource work to the crowd," which quickly led to the portmanteau "crowdsourcing".
In contrast to outsourcing, crowdsourcing usually involves less-specific, more public groups. The word crowdsourcing is a portmanteau of " crowd" and " outsourcing". Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digital platforms to attract and divide work between participants to achieve a cumulative result however, it may not always be an online activity, and there are various historical examples of crowdsourcing. This graphic symbolizes the use of ideas from a wide range of individuals, as used in crowdsourcing.Ĭrowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services-including ideas, voting, micro-tasks, and finances-for payment or as volunteers.