Mathew's comments - Latest Comments in Wisdom of crowds — except at work?

Re: Wisdom of crowds — except at work?

Mathew Ingram — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:02:47 -0000

Thanks for the comment, Jonathan. I would expect nothing less from a guy whose title is "community evangelist." And I agree :-)

Re: Wisdom of crowds — except at work?

Jonathan Rasmusson — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 00:07:56 -0000

Hi Mathew,

I think it's easy for each side of the debate to come up with
examples of where crowdsourcing works, and where it doesn't
work.

Mr. Freedmans example, while fair, miss some of the critical
points James points out in his book for what crowds need to
be effective - specifically independence, and a vested interest
in the outcome.

We are strong believers in crowdsourcing. At Cambrian House
we use the crowds rank our upcoming product ideas. We even
use the crowds to then help us build them.

Anyone will always be able to come up with an example of how
a crowd has been mislead (stock markets), but I don't again
with Mr. Freeman when he says collaboration of crowds does
not work.

All the best,

Jonathan Rasmusson
Community Evangelist
www.cambrianhouse.com

Re: Wisdom of crowds — except at work?

Mathew Ingram — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 19:50:25 -0000

Thanks for that George.

Re: Wisdom of crowds — except at work?

George Tsiolis — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:49:36 -0000

Hi, Mathew. Great piece and an important one for any business leader to read and consider. I have to go through the wisdom of crowds almost every week with clients when composing press releases, a plan, an event or a website. As such, my response has two parts:

PART 1 - I believe crowds are great at brainstorming, bringing great ideas to the forefront and debating the pro's and con's of different ways to skin a cat.

How great the process turns out all depends on leadership and the carte blanche environment it creates. If the crowd is fearless and know they won't suffer any consequences for disagreeing with those in higher power, the result can be magical. If there is even a hint of fear, you might as well not even begin the process.

PART 2 - The best crowd can't and shouldn't be relied on to create the final product (document, website, etc.). At the end of the day, leadership needs to take the crowd's best ideas, decide which ones to incorporate and create the final product.

I can tell you that I love the process. Though I always have firm ideas on how to get something done, I always leave the door wide open for someone to prove how their idea is better. I challenge them but also make sure they know they have carte blanche. If they can prove it, I incorporate it. When it happens, it's a great feeling for both me and the other person/group - and it happens often enough to make me continue keeping the door open.

Conclusion - Freedman is wrong.

Best,
George