Daniel Scocco of the delightfully fresh Innovation Zen has a wonderful review of the top ten crowdsourcing companies. He’s uncovered companies from industries as diverse as footwear and pharmaceuticals who are leveraging the widsom or labor of the crowd to help grow their business.
While technology is a popular target for crowdsourcing, it’s great to see other industries covered and it is well worth a read. He presents some very good questions, including:
But what is crowdsourcing all about? In Howe’s own words “technological advances in everything from product design software to digital video cameras are breaking down the cost barriers that once separated amateurs from professionals. Hobbyists, part-timers, and dabblers suddenly have a market for their efforts, as smart companies in industries as disparate as pharmaceuticals and television discover ways to tap the latent talent of the crowd. The labor isn’t always free, but it costs a lot less than paying traditional employees. It’s not outsourcing; it’s crowdsourcing”.
This definition illustrates well where the crowdsourcing phenomenon is coming from, but it does not create clear boundaries for what should be considered crowdsourcing and what should not. Does crowdsourcing necessarily involves something commercial? Can we classify social networks and collaborative production platforms as crowdsourcing?
Disclosure: I am presently engaged in launching two crowdsource companies that I am also a full partner in, so I am admittedly prejudiced about the effectiveness of the business model. I do predict, however, that we’ll see more businesses go this road as participation online continues to increase and more proven business models are available as examples.
My answers to his questions are pretty simple - no, crowdsourcing doesn’t have to be commercial; SETI and some open source software like the Katrina People Finder weren’t developed for commercial purposes. Neither was the internet, for that matter, and look at it now - it’s a mixture of both for and not for profit applications, content and traffic. I would consider most social networking sites as crowdsourced, but I’m waivering on collaborative platforms - you could tip me either way depending on the criteria you use to argue the point. Want to prove me wrong? Use the comment section and we’ll chat 
Update: Jeff Howe, the author of Wired Magazine’s original article about crowdsourcing blogs at crowdsourcing.com
