Crowdsourcing Firms Form Trade Body

In the US, a group of 33 crowdsourcing companies has joined forces to create a trade organization to serve as a resource for practitioners, customers, researchers and - eventually - the 'crowd'.

The newly launched 'Crowdsortium', which aims to drive best practices, education, data collection, advocacy and public dialogue, is free to all companies that join, but members must meet a number of membership criteria. These include being a crowdsourcing practitioner, customer researcher or funder.

Crowdsortium has been set up to use 'the very mechanism the industry is built upon - crowdsourcing', in order to apply the collective wisdom of all members' experiences.nclude the ability to connect with other members via an online group, access to data gathered on the crowdsourcing industry, press co-ordination on stories relating to crowdsourcing, and discounts on sponsored events.

'The Crowdsortium seeks to set the tone for future companies on fair practices and industry standards,' explains Niel Robertson, CEO of Trada, a crowdsourced paid search marketplace, and founding member of the Crowdsortium. 'It will define the best practices for all members of the crowdsourcing ecosystem.'

Web site: www.crowdsortium.org .