As cash-strapped and technologically savvy governments increasingly look to harness the power of the crowd, William D. Eggers and Rob Hamill offer suggestions for "Five Ways Crowdsourcing Can Transform the Public Sphere."
As Eggers and Hamill note, "Turning to large groups of people to solve problems, make decisions, and generate ideas in a decentralized way is not a new concept." What is new in this day and age is the ease with which technology had made such participation more accessible than ever. "Before jumping on the crowdsourcing bandwagon, however," Eggers and Hamill note, "government organizations must first understand the five basic models and when to use the activities associated with each."
The models described by the authors include:
- Crowd competition
- Crowd collaboration
- Crowd voting
- Crowd labor
- Crowd funding
The authors introduce handy examples of each model, hoping to guide public-sector officials to the appropriate route for establishing a personal connection with their constituents and maximizing the potential of alternative resources.
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