Crowdsourcing sites like Mechanical Turk regularly grow and fall in popularity with the online community. There are pros and cons for both businesses that choose this route to hire remote workers on a regular basis, and remote workers who visit these sites for a little extra cash.
What is crowdsourcing?
The bare bones definition of crowdsourcing is getting a bunch of people together to do something. In this case “something” is running a business. Instead of a small group of people working on daily tasks, there can be a large group of people who each complete a small task. This guy is designing a logo. That guy is posting on Facebook. There the girl is writing ad copy. Tomorrow, those workers may change even though the jobs remain the same.
There are many ways it can work and it can pay off. Some sites pay per task while others may only pay for results. The whole setup has pros and cons.
facilities
There is usually no commitment with these sites. Pick up tasks as your schedule allows. Therefore, they can be a popular option for “filler work” if your client workload is light.
difficulty
Just as you have no commitment to the site or clients, they will likely feel less committed to you. We’re not just talking about the workload here, but also the pay – which is probably going to be very low.
In some cases, the salary can be quite high. This is especially the case with crowdsourced contest sites, but there’s no guarantee you’ll win a contest you’ve invested so much time, energy, and effort into.
List of crowdsourcing websites
There are different sites for freelancers in each specialty. Some sites offer logo creation or website name contests. Others focus on micro tasks. You can even put your art skills to the challenge and design someone a new tattoo!
99 designs – Logo and web design
blurGroup – Design, Technology, Marketing
Casting Words – Transcript
Clickworker – Microtasks
make my tattoo – Tattoo
Crowdspring – Design and naming of the website
Crowdsource – Writing, editing, transcription and microtasks
fancy hands – Personal assistant-type work
Field Agent – App-based, local tasks similar to mystery shopping
Fiverr – Microtasks
Microworkers – Microtasks
Mturk – Microtasks
Naming force – Business name
Poptent – Video ads
Squadelop – Microtasks and competitions
Threadless – T-shirt design
Tongal – Advertising
Interviews with Tongal workers Julia Lee and Tina Rugel
Tell us a little about Tongal.
Julia: Tongal is a great site for creatives to put on their best Don Draper hat and send an idea for a commercial (usually a 140 character-long entry, the size of a tweet) directly to companies like LEGO, Olay and Barbie. If your idea is chosen, you win money for the initial idea, and if a filmmaker wins with a video based on your idea, you’ll also win 5% of the remaining amount. If you’re a filmmaker, you can compete in the video stages for even more prize money potential.
What made you decide to sign up for the site?
Julia: At first, I thought Tongal was a scam because it sounded too good to be true, so I told my boyfriend about it, since he had already participated in many writing contests. Within a few months, he won money from the site for an idea. So I thought, “What can I lose?” I actually won $1,000 for the first idea contest I entered. I was instantly hooked. 4 years later, over $30K, I still enjoy the competition.
Tina: I’ve always enjoyed competitive contests” where you can increase your chances of winning by working hard and doing a good job. You can’t do that with a sweepstakes or a drawing.
In 2009, I was searching for video contests online. I stumbled upon Tonga. Their competition was uniquely structured in stages. It started with an idea phase and the winning ideas will be used as the basis for the next phase, the video phase So with nothing to lose, I submitted an idea and it won first place – $1000.
How much money were you able to make toward your holiday shopping goals?
Julia: So far this year, I’ve won about $5,000, so I’ll probably put at least $1,000 toward holiday shopping. My boyfriend and I just had a beautiful baby girl in June, so most of our winnings go toward diapers and baby supplies.
Tina: This year I won over $3000 and saved $1000 for holiday shopping..
What are your top tips for those wanting to sign up to Tonga?
Julia: My best tips for competing in Tongale are: 1) Always read the briefs thoroughly, 2) Do some research on your own by checking the sponsor’s website/Facebook page/YouTube channel to get a better idea of their products and company, 3) If you Don’t succeed at first but keep trying, 4) Usually, since you get 3 – 5 entries, you should always keep 1 weird idea and 1 simple idea because you never know which one will go the way a sponsor will, and 5) the most you’ve ever seen. Think about memorable ads and try to understand why those particular ads stayed with you, whether it was the humor or the cinematography or the message. Try replicating it with your own twist based on what the sponsor is looking for.
How can we sign up and how is the application process?
Julia: It’s quite simple. You must be at least 13 years old and have an e-mail address. Visit Tongal.com and sign up today.
Have you ever tried a crowdsourcing website? Tell us about it in the comments.
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