#micro-tasking

Looking for a way to make some extra money online without a huge time commitment? SproutGigs (formerly Picoworkers) might be the answer. This micro-tasking platform connects freelancers with businesses offering small, bite-sized jobs. By completing these tasks, you can earn a little extra cash on your schedule. In this guide, we’ll delve into everything you need to know about making money on…

The main inspiration behind taking our microtasking platform open-source was a mix of love and frustration. A love for microtasking and microvolunteering pushed us forward to create VineStove. But, frustration is what is drove us to the decision of making the platform open-source for our coming re-build .  

Every corner we turned when initially attempting to build our platform suggested that we had two options. 1. Spend over 10K on web development, or 2. Be web-developers ourselves. We went the latter route. As the founder, I was lucky enough to have a small scholarship (from my service in AmeriCorps) and I went back to school to study web-development. And, after much hard work and focus, I came out with a plan to complete our project.

And, having to wait over a year to take our idea to reality has been beyond frustrating. That is why we never want someone else who has a cool idea for microtasking site to ever hit that same wall. This also worries us: The microtasking field is missing-out by having such a high barrier of entry. Imagine all of the ideas out there for motivating the crowd not yet tested... and all of unfunded activities that could be paid for by microtasking.

And, the robot? Well, that’s pretty simple. We were sick of trying to save the world alone!  In a world of crowdsourcing opportunities, cheap robots, and more and more caring people emerging online, there’s no reason we should be alone! Think about this too; It’s a rad way to set up mini-internships! And we're psyched that we have already reached our goal to buy the robot and cover it's mobile internet costs. Still can't get over that, really.

So far, it’s been all about the robot. People love it, and we already have a ton of people set up to ride around our office, including three people who chose the $50 reward to take the robot out on the pier to see the ocean. We’re a little nervous having to explain to everyone on the pier that our robot is just out for a walk, but excited to take technology new exciting salty places.

I have only recently been contacting people and companies about the open-source microtasking platform. Microtasking is a pretty obscure topic, so I am talking with crowdsourcing companies directly to convince them that this is something our field needs to mature and experiment freely, openly, and quickly. I will also be consulting with them to make sure the platform is the best it can be. Luckily, too, crowdsourcing blogs are really enjoying the novelty and grandeur of the project. Those blog posts are in the works, and I’m hoping that they help give me a warmer introduction to the companies I am approaching for sponsorship. Stay tuned.

Crowdfunding advice? hmmm... Well, I’ve learned it’s important to foster community ahead of time. If I had to restart my campaign, I would have contacted my audience before I had started the campaign to see how they could be involved. It’s easy to forget that, although the surprise of discovering a cool crowdfunding campaign can be exciting, it’s still better to not blind-side them. Take the time to warm-up your audience. Other than that, I can say prepare yourself for a huge adventure in content-marketing, relationship building, clear communication, and perseverance. Getting your project in front of the right people, the people who care, is a challenge, but it’s also exhilarating! I hope more open-source projects like mine turn to crowdfunding. It works!