Crowdsourcing creates friction

Kevin Potts recently did a review/critique of wundersite www.99designs.com - which appears to be a simplified spin of other such sites like Elance and what Kevin calls it’s “malignant brethren”. The site, which uses less than ideal techniques to get designers to connect with businesses, requires spec work and encourages horribly low prices. In his article, Kevin removes the usual sales pitch and business jargon and brings out the underlying truth:

Hmm. Yes, by all means, we want to avoid the time and consideration professional designers offer and go right to the lowest common denominator of grade-school dropouts whose portfolio’s crown jewel is a logo for their dad’s wholesale llama manure clearing house. We definitely do not want any in-depth communication. We do not want any understanding of the company, the brand, or the direction andaspirations of the organization.

It is the following comments on the post that makes this an interesting conversation, such as

This reads like someone who is quite pissed that their precious world-view is in danger - perhaps your creative skills are not up to the requirements to keep you competitive in a global market. The internet obviously opened a vast market…play ball or change jobs.

And

Man! Spec work is spec work and it’s BAD! BAD1 BAD! How about looking at it like this: make me a burger and fries. I’ll eat it. If I like it I’ll pay you a small sum for it. If I don’t - oh, well!

There is no easy answer here, except that for many people access to a global market place otherwise denied to them is mana from heaven. And a means to earn money that to them would be otherwise denied. For others the idea of working on spec is morally outrageous.

I remember working as a young designer and I was constantly asked to provide work on spec. but also as a Creative Director in Ad Agencies.

Personally I hated it - and I made a choice that was not the way I wanted to work. But that is my choice.

But I am a great believer in harnessing collective intelligence, and in C'mon everybody I referenced the book on Crowdsourcing that provides some underlying principals which are definitely worth considering.