I like to try something different, and I’m always searching for new opportunities. So when I discovered crowdsourcing last year I gave it a go.
Crowdsourcing may, at first glance, seem counter-intuitive to the creative or inventive person. Rather than patent your unique invention or creation (although you can if you wish) the idea is to propose the idea to a third party, who will then represent you to the company seeking a solution, along with everyone else who has attempted to solve the challenge. The solutions are then assessed and the company will choose a selection of the most useful and offer a reward for them. In the crowd sourcing model I use, you don’t initially know who they company is, and they don’t know who you are.
This anonymity immediately appealed to me as it creates a level playing field. As an independent scientist I have sometimes struggled to compete with those who are backed by large institutions. But crowdsourcing is different. Everyone has the same advantage providing they have the knowledge and problem solving skills.
So, I submitted various proposal for various challenges on the premise that if my idea was taken up I would receive a financial reward. As all the challenges were for the greater good there is also a sense of helping others, as well as the payback of exercising your brain and flexing your skill muscles.
I really enjoyed it. Thinking about the challenges has awoken an area of my brain that makes me feel alive and helped me to think about solving problems outside my immediate vicinity. The challenges were widely varied and really made me think about the world and use my own expertise to try to solve them, keeping in mind that others may use and entirely different skill set.
However, as I tell more and more people about crowdsourcing, I receive some interesting critique. The main question is, ‘What do you get out of it?’ The general assumption is that anyone who invents something will immediately patent it, sell it and become rich from huge royalties. Which is true in some cases. However, I realised early in the process that, for me and many others, without the backing of an organisation or university, the product I patent could never be defended if someone breached the patent, rendering the patent almost useless.
The next question is usually, ‘So you are just giving your idea away?’ No. I’m selling my idea. I’m selling it for a financial reward and the kudos that comes from the acknowledgement that I have sold something unique and scalable that I have invented. This may lead to consultancy work or more inventions. It’s not a get rich quick scheme, it’s work.
The third most popular question is, ‘Aren’t you afraid that someone will steal you idea if you send it over the internet?’ Scared, no. There is a chance this could happen. Someone I don’t know is evaluating work I have completed, and I could do little to ensure that they don’t steal it. In fact the only thing I could do is not submit it. If I’m not going to submit it then I might as well not do it. Then I would lose the benefit of using my skills and exercising my brain, and potentially helping people. So I will take the risk. After all, moving forward involves risk and operating outside your comfort zone. Even if I patent it, someone can still steal my idea. I will just have to trust humanity on that one! I’ll take my chances.
For me, crowd sourcing has worked out really well and in the past year I have learnt so much and gained access to information I will use again and again in my research. Did I receive any financial reward for all my hard work? Watch this space!