Microsoft in Crowd Labor. A video from CrowdConf by our friends at Crwodsourcing.org
These guys hit all the right points - now it's all about the right platform.
"Any team anywhere needs crowdsourcing and can benefit from it, (some) just don't know it yet," he said. "Some teams know it, but face challenges."
We at Ziptask read this as a need for a better interface, and easier way to push the work out.
Those challenges might include difficulty in breaking tasks into micro-tasks, or working with crowdsourcing platforms that aren't yet mature enough in a specific market or geographic part of the world. But Patel still said that overall he sees crowdsourcing as having "infinite potential."
"Any task you have, there is somebody in the world who can do your task faster and efficiently at cheaper cost... the question is, how do we (put the platform and processes in place) to enable this untapped skill base and then channel it to different use cases?"
When it comes to how crowdsourcing might play into what Microsoft is currently working on, Patel said the new Windows 8 operating system -- designed to work on touchscreen systems like the company's own new Surface tablet/laptop hybrid -- will make not only users, but all sorts of workers more mobile, accessible and connected.
"It's like everyone is walking around with the work in their hand, so why not connect the workers and the people who need to get work done. That's the enormous potential."
This is truly compelling language!