CategoryChain Reaction Issue 11 Vol. IV

Crowdsourcing: Exploiting the power of the Many

June 1, 2013 Off By Vinayak Gole

 

The internet is a haven for ideas. And with time, these ideas do not just stay but grow and prosper. The turn of the decade, has seen a new sense of entrepreneurship, social. Everyone is involved with everyone and everything. And based on this concept is the base of crowdsourcing.

Have you ever stepped out of the way to help a stranger? Have you ever put down some money, spent some time or even given up on some prized possession for the betterment of someone completely unknown? In that case you have been a philanthropist. But when a number of such social philanthropists come together, we get the power of the crowd to do something good. This is crowdsourcing.

There are a number of resources available on the internet to help people realize their dreams. These sites charge a nominal fee for each of the donations; however, they are still the best bet.

The most popular of the lot being:

 

Kickstarter:

The leader of the lot, Kickstarter has helped people start up projects in music to films to science. Starting up a campaign is easy and can be set up with nothing more than an email and a PayPal account. Kickstarter has financed projects not just for causes and charities but also for businesses and even for personal needs.

http://www.kickstarter.com/

 

Indigogo:

Indigogo notches up the second spot and is focussed more on exploiting the power of the crowd for businesses and personal needs. The site has seen large number of supporters primarily because of its international appeal and personal touch.

http://www.indiegogo.com/

 

 

Rockethub:

Rockethub goes a step further and helps businesses with marketing and promotions as well. Their FuelPad and LaunchPad programs let campaign owners connect with partners to help in promotions and marketing.

http://www.rockethub.com/

 

 

Gofundme:

Need a car or need to buy that smartphone but are running short of cash, get the Gofundme genie to grant you the wish. The site is primarily for personal wishes which can be funded by friends and unknown benefactors.

http://www.gofundme.com/

 

 

Wishberry:

Wishberry is the Indian alternative to crowdfunding. The pioneer of the crowdfunding industry in India, Wishberry has funded campaigns for music to film to businesses to books.

http://www.wishberry.in/

 

 

The internet is a haven for realizing dreams. If you have a dream, the merchants are all ready to fulfil it. This new wave of crowdfunding and crowdsourcing, is bound to get many more dreams realized.

 

We welcome your comments at letters@friedeye.com

About the author

I am a nobody. In the Matrix, I am a software engineer, struggling to survive in the race to nowhere. I lead a normal happily married life, full of the usual hope and apprehensions. I worry about small things, I crib about low wages, I hate the politicians and their policies and wish I had a better life. Outside the Matrix, however, it is a different story. I put on my earphones, cut myself away from the fake world and let my fingers take me to a world of dreams and fantasy. I do not complain here, in this world of words and puntuations. I find divinty with the Almighty when I write.I write about life, my experiences, my hopes, my wishes and some stuff not at all related to me. And music is the blue pill which takes me out of this everyday life. It is the Bodhi Tree under which I stand enlightened. So this then is my world. I can also be found at: http://vinayakgole.blogspot.com/

1 Comment

  • Perry Shaw says:
    June 28, 2013 at 9:54 pm

    This one sounds so obvious, you would think every entrepreneur visualizes, but only few do. The masses laugh off visualizing but the few detailed dreamers of the world make the millions and billions of dollars that all other entrepreneurs are striving to earn. You need to see something in mind, with great clarity, for that something to materialize in the outside world. You must sit and visualize for at least 20 minutes daily to see appreciable results in your life. You will likely have a tough time trying to see your dreams during a normal business day if you are struggling to grow your venture, or if you suffer financially. You alleged results scream at you, and you throw the whole visualizing thing out of the window.

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