Fan-Funded: First, crowdsourced dating, now crowdsourced movie making. Director David Lynch (Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive) has asked his fans for moolah to make his new movie. This documentary of his life will be centered around him (duh!) but those who donate will also get a chance to offer their input. Also, if you feel so inclined to cut your good pal David a check, you’ll get an original print of his self-portrait.
CK Uncensored: Known for their only-jeans-wearing models, Calvin Klein Jeans has opted to take some of their scandalous billboards down and replace them with something a little less racy – QR codes (okay, so, that’s a lot less racy). Tagged with the phrase “Get It Uncensored,” passersby can take a picture using their smartphone which will bring them to a 40-second commercial they can then share with their friends. Snap your pic now, they’ll only be up a week!
Toss It: Over time we all amass a lot of things. In my case, it would be cheap shades. In Joe Garden’s, it would be T-shirts. So, the features editor of The Onion has chosen to toss some – based on public opinion. Besides cleaning up his closet, The Tee-Shirt Project has answered some questions like, Is that a coffee stain or blood? Are ringer tees ever okay? And, Will the cat hair come off?
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Do you like Star Wars…like, more than a friend? Do you stay up nights thinking about Princess Leia in her bikini as you practice wielding a “laser” sword in your garage? Chances are, if this sounds like you, then you probably also own a webcam. (Actually, if this sounds like you, then you probably also have a burning desire to wear a cape and speak in a secret language that is a cross between C++, pig latin and Vulcan — but that is a non-sequitur.)
Anyway, the Star Wars: Uncut project capitalizes on the number of Star Wars fans who also enjoy making viral videos. The project is simple — they’ve divided the movie into 472 15-second sections. Fans can then log on to the site, claim a section and film their own version of that snippet.
Once all of the sections are complete, they will be strung together to create an entirely crowdsourced version of the film. It will be perfect for people who liked the original, but wish it starred more awkward teens who “think prom is stupid anyway.”
In fairness, some of the 15-second offerings are really amazing and the project concept is totally brilliant. I, for one, am hoping that this is a trend. I’ve already picked out the 15 seconds of Mean Girls* that I’d like to re-create.
Kraft Foods in Australia has decided to change the name of its new Vegemite-and-cream-cheese product after the recent uproar over the new name iSnack 2.0. The company originally crowdsourced the name by asking more than 48,000 people to submit a name for the product online. An Australian web developer submitted the hokey, 2001-esque name “iSnack 2.0” as a joke, and lo and behold, it won! The original Vegemite name was chosen through a similar competition in the 1920s, although snarky web developers didn’t exist back then.
I’m not even going to delve into the question of the actual product — every time my Aussie boyfriend makes a Vegemite and toasted cheese sandwich, the aroma alone makes me nauseous! The Awlsuggests it may be made “from the carcasses of diseased koalas,” which is actually entirely plausible. The company decided to create the new cream cheese hybrid spread after finding that people spread about 13 grams of the creamier Vegemite on a piece of toast, versus five grams of the traditional version. All I have to say is, thank goodness they don’t sell The Spread Formerly Known As iSnack 2.0 in the States!
There was an interesting article in the New York Post this week about the rise and fall of Zagat. It seems that back in the day, the Zagats would not accept a $100 million offer to sell the company and are now regretting the decision, because they cannot keep up with up with the technology and crowdsourcing models of competitors. It also doesn’t help that Zagat charges subscribers $25 to use the site.
Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? My mom says that.
Crowdsourcing is the answer. It is inevitable in the Web 2.0 world of bringing people together. Below is a list of 14 online tools that harness the talents of groups to help you produce a product, concept, business.
Crowdsourcing — not to be confused with crowdsurfing.
