Crowd Power: A Reading Room presentation on content crowdsourcingHarnessing the wisdom of crowds to grow content (and other good things)12 August 2014

Contents

Crowdsourcing & content - So what is it all about?

Factors and Favourability 

Making it work – an NAA case study

Making it work… for you

#RRcrowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing and content

Content is KING

Engagement Content • Audience interactivity• Entertainment • Ownership• Adds value

Functional Content• Statutory requirements• Decision critical - timely and accurate.• SEO

So…. What is crowd sourced content?

The act of taking a job once performed by a designated agent… and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people through the form of an open call, which usually takes place over the Internet.

#RRcrowdsourcing

2009, Jeff Howe, The New York Times

Implicit • Co-creation of content • Participating in a community

Factors and Favourability 

Huge advantages

#RRcrowdsourcing

• Community = engagement

• Enriched content

• Resource efficiency

• Exponential content population

• A new perspective

The leap of faith

WHO IS IN CONTROL?

WHAT WILL THEY SAY?

WHO IS CHECKING?

So what potential problems are there?

#RRcrowdsourcing

So what potential problems are there?

#RRcrowdsourcing

So what potential problems are there?

#RRcrowdsourcing

So what potential problems are there?

#RRcrowdsourcing

Making it work –case studies

Making it work –case studies

Making it work –case studies

Making it work –NAA

Making it work

• Make it EASY

• Make it ENGAGING

• Make it EDITABLE

Strategy first

#RRcrowdsourcing

Making it workLeveraging a passionate crowd

#RRcrowdsourcing

Making it workUnderstanding the crowd The crowd is:• Engaged in the subject matter – Historian• Interested in an individual or particular story – My Grandma• Compelled to contribute to the national narrative – School projects

This means :• Junk content minimised• Quantity of content likely to be high• Mixed levels of digital literacy

We needed to:• Facilitate different engagement styles • Content interaction and interconnection • Allow avenues for moderation and checking• Build in self correction and crowd correction

Making it work

#RRcrowdsourcing

Facilitate different engagement styles

Making it work

#RRcrowdsourcing

Facilitate different engagement styles

Making it work

#RRcrowdsourcing

Facilitate different engagement styles

Making it work

#RRcrowdsourcing

But how does this crowd source content?

Making it work

#RRcrowdsourcing

Flexible contributions

User Control

• Revert to previous

• Save a draft

• Clear help

• Report inappropriate content Administrator control

• Passive moderation

• Moderation queue

Making it work… for you

Making it work… for you

IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE HUGE

• Start with a clear task for your users to do

• Establish a motivation for contribution

• Start small

• Understand the resource cost, savings and benefits

#RRcrowdsourcing

Making it work… for you

Ratings and comments

#RRcrowdsourcing

Making it work… for you

Geolocation

#RRcrowdsourcing

Making it work… for you

Third party providers

#RRcrowdsourcing

Making it work… for you

Technical solutions are great, but…

What is your problem?

#RRcrowdsourcing

Questions

www.readingroom.com