Open Technologist

MXit Android App Download

MXit for Android can be now be downloaded from the Android Marketplace and searching for MXit. According to MXit features include: Marketplace Free chat to your contacts Search Phonebook Upload MXit’s App Showcase See MXit for further information by clicking...

Review: The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser

The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You by Eli Pariser is a must read for anyone that makes use of personalized Internet services such as Facebook, Google and Amazon. While personalization is becoming a preference for many, Eli investigates the danger of living inside these bubbles and how they affect our relationships, identities, creativity and democracy. The book focuses on the present as well as where we will be if we don’t become aware of what us happening with our...

What I Learnt About Crowdsourcing

This year I have mainly blogged about crowdsourcing as it was the research topic for my masters thesis which I have now completed. I thought it would be appropriate to write my last post for the year about crowdsourcing summarizing what I learnt. I conducted case studies on two crowdsourcing platform operators;  TopCoder and InnoCentive and these were my conclusions: Three important areas emerged People Processes Technology Crowdsourcing has 3 role players Client...

Innovation in the Age of Global Collaboration – Crowdsourcing

I have uploaded my masters thesis about crowdsourcing that I completed earlier this year to slideshare (see below). Here is an abstract: The rapid development of new technologies has given rise to new forms of collaboration. Organisations are able to collaborate on a global scale with individuals around the world, in order to conduct R&D activities as a result of Web 2.0 tools and technologies. This study focuses on three areas relating to global collaboration; people, processes and...

The Crowdsourcing Process of Problem Solving

Crowdsourcing is a process that involves different role players in order for the task to be completed successfully. The process has three role players; the client organization with the problem, the platform operator and the community who provides the solutions to the problem. The process is started when a client organization recognizes that it has a problem that could be solved by the process of crowdsourcing. The client organization approaches a platform operator who then...

What is Crowdsourcing?

Here is a video explaining what is crowdsourcing?:...

Crowdfunding Definition – Music Industry Example

South African singer Verity Price found it hard to get a recording contract in South Africa. As featured on Carte Blanche, music producer Peter Lacey explained that the market for English speaking music in South Africa is less than 500 000 people and this includes international artists. A successful record in South Africa is considered selling 5 000 units. Besides releasing an album there is the added tasks of getting radio stations to play the music and getting retailers to sell the album....

MXit Blackberry

The MXit Blackberry application allows users to send messages at no cost over the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) network (Vodacom users). The application can be downloaded from the Blackberry app store or just point your Blackberry's browser to MXit's wap site www.mxit.com/wap. Some the features include: Changing of language within the app Mood and presence is saved and is not lost when log out The chat screen displays the time A template farewell message is can be sent to the...

Crowdsourcing Platforms

A crowdsourcing platform allows a organization to collaborate with a community to provide solutions to a project. When organizations decide on crowdsourcing a project they can either attempt to attract the crowd themselves, creating their own platform in the process, or make use of an existing crowdsourcing platform with an established community. The main difference is that an exisiting platorm will have an established community. Opting to create your own platform will require investment in...

Crowdsourcing Books

Below is a list of great books covering the topic of crowdsourcing. Click on the images for further info.   Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything          Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business       We-Think         Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations      The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation (Theory in Practice) ...