My Own Crowdsourcing Experience

I think many people already know about “Outsourcing”, but this week, I heard about “crowdsourcing” for the first time. This new word just shows the meaning very easily and directly. I learn this word from “YouTube-CBC-The current-Cambrian House Crowdsourcing”. The Crowdsourcing means that a company let their product or service outsourced to anyone who wants to join it by providing their ideas.

When I watched this video, some experience was passing my brain. I know that I already experienced some kind of crowdsourcing in my home country, South Korea. In accessory industry, I can design my own necklace, bracelet and ring. Actually, I designed my cell phone accessory with silver.

(This is my name in Korean Character)

I can order my accessory with my design to skillful technician, then they make the finished product through my design. I think this pattern is almost same in Crowdsourcing. The customer can design their own product then he/she can have profit from selling the product if the product become very popular to other customers.

Another my experience is in Myong-Dong where very popular to Korean young people. I went to there once a week, because I liked this place. Oneday I found something interesting place "Nijke Dunklow Exhibition", so I dropped by and spent really great time there. I choose the dunklow's color and shape of pattern on computer, then computer simulate my own design shoe on the huge white screen-like shoe.

(This is screen-like huge shoe and I designed my own shoes)

I think this experience also can be a kind of Crowdsourcing, because I designed my shoes through computer even though I didn't order it. According to BusinessWeek "Nike's New Public Design Studio-Where Consumers Become Designers", article says "With NIKEiD Studios, Nike is proving to be a company that's one step ahead of the trends, applying fresh new retail tactics to the company's established marketing strategies." I agree with this opinion. To meet customer's needs now company should be more creative and be sensitive to customers changes and requests. But I think there will be some problems about royalty thing. So we should be enough ready to take legal steps for Crowdsourcing.