Find examples of how collective action is used to solve potentially complex problems. You may work with others.
1. Find an example of collective action (as mentioned in Gee or other definitions like those mentioned in these slides, or any source). Describe and link to the digital tool. Explain what it does, how it works, etc.
This is also a good source: http://www.crowdsourcing.org/
2. Describe the types of problems it is working to solve.
3.Post your answers here. Rather than repeat what others have done, work together with others, or reply to a post with another example of how the digital tool is used.
Linking in comments (Blackboard example): <a href="blackboard.eller.arizona.edu">Blackboard</a>. Blackboard will be highlighted, and the link will go to blackboard.
An example of collective action that I use are Facebook pages where people communicate to buy, sell, discuss, or give away items or services. For example, there is "Facelist Tucson. Craigslist on Facebook" and "Free and For Sale".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/facelisttucson/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/210190815758633/
These pages allow for local people to communicate with each other on a Facebook forum in order to post items or services you want to give away/sell or ask for things you want. At which time, users who are interested in items or have something to offer will comment on a post and will coordinate with the poster to buy, sell, or give things away.
The problem that it resolves is the need of people in a community to get rid of items in their home and for others to gain items for their homes/families at a discounted price or for free. This also helps people who cannot afford certain items or need money gain what they need locally.
This is a type of collective action that I am familiar with. In the same vein, Facebook pages and groups have been used similar to Change.org petitions to gather public support/condemnation for controversial subjects. There have been many examples of stories going viral and reaching thousands of users in a short time bringing about a positive change.
DeleteOne such example is how sharing a Facebook photo helped reunited a lost man with his family. The man, who is 78 years old and suffers from memory loss, was missing for two weeks when he walked out of his home. Just two days after a photo of his wife searching for him was posted to Facebook, it was shared over 61,000 times and the man was found and back home.
This is just one example of how the social networking site can use its vast reach for good.
Similar to what Connor was talking about, Twitter has also been widely used as a medium for collective action. Often times when a loved one goes missing family members will post a picture of the individual on twitter asking other users to retweet the photo in hopes of leveraging a wide network to familiarize the people in that area with the missing person features so that he/she may be recognized and found .witter also has a unique hashtag/trending that also works to foster collective action. What this does is allow you to become a member of a certain city's twitter community. As a member, you can see what topic a majority of tweeters in that community are discussing at any given time. This, in a sense bring people from that city together in one big conversation where they can lear, discuss,, and eventually take action on the various social, political, and economic issues that come up everyday.
DeleteOne example of collaborative action that I have participated in is Relay for Life, which is run through the American Cancer Society. The purpose of this event is to raise funds for cancer research. It is an event in which survivors are honored and lost ones are remembered. During the event, teams take turns walking around a track or path for up to 24 hours. Because "cancer never sleeps", each team is asked to have one team member walking at all times.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.relayforlife.org
Thanks. Good source. I know there are Komen runs for breast cancer fund raising that also honor those who survived and remember those lost. Many other racing events honor others this way too. What about the Bucket of Ice Water challenge!! Surprised that didn't catch on for other illnesses that rarely receive much funding.
DeleteSpeaking of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, I wanted to see if the fundraiser actually raised a significant amount of money for the ALS Association. People dumping water over their heads actually raised about $100 million, which is up 3,500 percent from the same time last year (Sept 2014). The largest chunk of the money was used for services and programs. However, there was a significant amount dedicated to research. In fact, when people donate, they can specify that their money go only towards research. Overall, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge seriously helped raise money for the ALS Association.
Deletehttp://www.ibtimes.com/how-much-money-has-als-ice-bucket-challenge-raised-more-100-million-has-poured-where-will-1677980
http://www.alsa.org/about-us/ice-bucket-challenge-faq.html
As we move towards this idea of knowledge-able students, people who are capable of finding and understanding knowledge on their own, the source of information becomes quintessential. One controversial source is Wikipedia. Regardless of the validity of information, this online encyclopedia is a crowd sourced data bank of user generated content. Users can create a page on any topic, or edit the existing content to better reflect the facts. Wikipedia has been proven to be more accurate than most college textbooks on account of professional profiles requiring sources for all facts. Though updates can stick for a few hours, all information is fact checked in order to make wikipedia a reliable source of both easy information and links to formal research. Almost all college students in America have used Wikipedia as a wealth of information throughout their college career, and its bank of knowledge grows every day.
ReplyDeleteHow is Wikipedia controversial? It has a over a thousand eyes looking for mischief and it's typically quickly corrected. Anyone can edit or add information, that is then validated by others. I think it's a great first source for information, and the links provided can also be helpful. I'm sure there are profs and certainly in high school where it is frowned upon, and though I don't think it should be the only source, it should be referenced like you would reference an encyclopedia (back in the day). Anyone remember encyclopedias?? Remember MS had one online?
DeleteI think Wikipedia is a great source of knowledge, and there is nothing else like it right now. When I first start researching about a topic, I go to Wikipedia to get an overall idea.
DeleteThe only time I would refrain from using it, is when I'm researching a controversial topic. Pages about companies and scientific studies are most likely true and reliable, but topics such as history should be looked at with caution. With history, there are usually more than one side to the story, and I'm not sure if Wikipedia offers both of the sides all of the time (although they try to). Political policies is another good example of a controversial subject. Here is more information about what I am talking about: Is Wikipedia biased?
I definitely use Wikipedia for a substantial amount of my researching when I want to know about any topic. However, for academic purposes, I never use it as a reliable source. Since high school, and to now in college, I have been told by every teacher to never use Wikipedia as a source when typing up a research paper. Wiki can be alterized and information is not as reliable as other scientific sources. I still use wikipedia regardless, because it gives me a better understanding of the topic im interested in.
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DeleteI also think that Wikipedia is a great source for general information about products, people, and information. Another great source that is similar to Wikipedia in some aspects is Reddit. Reddit is a forum based website where people from around the world can post about any subject they desire. Because Reddit is forum based, users can collaborate by posting their opinions, facts, etc on other people’s posts.
DeleteAn example of Reddit using collaborative action to solve an important issue would be the topic of cancer. Anyone, such as a scientific researcher, can post breaking news about new cancer research, newly synthesized drugs for chemotherapy, techniques on how to ease the negative side effects of chemotherapy, and even comforting stories about surviving and beating cancer or other diseases.
Reddit is a wonderful tool for information because there is no limits or restrictions to what one can post. While Reddit is not solely used for solving problematic issues, it is still a great way to inform others about interesting information regarding our society.
One example of crowd sourcing is Kiva.org. Kiva.org focuses on helping people who live in impoverished countries or conflict zones. It is a website where people can either borrow or lend money. People living in poorer countries can apply for business loans and create a profile where they describe what they would use the money for. Then, other people can go on the website and lend small amounts of money. The cool thing about this website is that it allows a bunch of people to pool their micro-loans to make a difference in someone's life.
ReplyDeleteAn example of crowd sourcing that I have encountered before is Craigs List. Craigslist is a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, items wanted, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. It allows people to collaborate together to meet each others needs through the advertisement of selling, buying, and community advertisements. Although Craigslist has faced much scrutiny due to mal use of its website by some users, it continues to be a top service provider for people all over the world. This collaborative action has allowed for people to seek each other to meet their needs.
ReplyDeleteI had this example in mind too. It relates to the Collective Intelligence of people coming together with different products or needs and open opportunities for others that need that product or have a skill to meet that need. Ebay is similar to this idea in the digital sense, but Craigslist removes the worry of paying for a product you have not ever seen or touched physically.
DeleteI put my Mom's car up for sale on Friday and sold it Sunday. People were very nice. Selling cars is a risk for the seller, too, as there are all kinds of people who just want the car for $1000 less than the asking - cash. But I find the people I meet on Craigs to be mostly nice, and for the buyer, they got to see the inside of the car and under the hood, so it's good for them, too.
DeleteIn my opinion, Craigs list is useful but it lack security for the seller as well as the buyer!
DeleteMany people have been killed in a result of selling an expensive item they hold. One of those situation happened recently and a young Saudi Student, Abdullah Abdullatif Alkadi, in LA last September. It was a tragedy for all the Saudis especially because more and more Saudi students are coming to study in US. Families are more concerned about their children safety and the SA embassy sent so many warning of the use of Craigslist or any other website to prevent this tragedy from happening again.
It is unfortunate to replace a middle man with a website or technology that might kill you ! I believe introducing a safety standards/ middle man for people who want to use it to sell your own items in Craigslist might encourage more people to be part of it.
For more details about the case:
2 Men Arrested In Connection With CSUN Student’s Homicide
Long Beach Man Charged In Murder Of CSUN Student
An example of crowdsourcing that I recently discovered is StartSomeGood.com. They raise money for social issues. This website offers social entrepreneurs the chance to raise funds for their idea and to gain supporters. First, the ventures have to be approved. Then the entrepreneurs can pitch their idea and get advice from StartSomeGood on how they can create the most effective campaign possible. This allows those in the community to donate to their cause. It is very similar to Kickstarter.
ReplyDeleteAn example of collective action that is still around today and actually began more than 10 years ago is a video group known as Improv Everywhere. Collective action explains that communities are formed through this idea and Improv Everywhere is basically just that: a large community. The digital tool this film group utilizes would be both virtual worlds and digital tools for collaboration and collective intelligence. The group creates a "virtual" world by doing something comedic with a large number of people while the audience does not realize they are in on the prank.
ReplyDeleteThe group has done hundreds of stunts. They start with an idea, then they form a large group of random people interested in participating in the improv, and they complete the prank using anything from lights to stay in sync or bluetooths to communicate and stay alert. Although the company does not perform its missions for any particular cause, he seeks to bring comedy to people and bring collaboration physically among groups of strangers (usually utilizing technology). This example of collective action is most closely related to Crowd Co-creation because it seeks to bring a community of people together to create new videos.
ImprovEverywhere
Here is a link to one of my favorite missions they performed
DeleteReverse Times Square
Ha ha ha!! Love this group. Very good example of co-creation that is somewhat like a smart mob. I have to find that group that pretends to be real, and then advocates good social causes. Anyone know the name of that group? I saw a documentary on them. Will look around...
DeleteOne example of collective action is a site called gofundme.com. On this site people can put their stories and ask for donations from complete strangers. One example of this going viral is when a homeless person returned a backpack carrying cash and someone's passport to the store he found it in. The story has gone viral, someone set up a gofundme page for him and strangers have raised over 160,000 on his behalf. This is just one example among many of collective action changing people's lives.
ReplyDeleteGofundme is working towards solving all different types of problems. For example I have seen posts from people who have rare diseases, are being turned down for treatment by their insurance, and are creating posts to raise money to get appropriate treatment. Gofundme has also been used in the sports industry to help fund local teams. Gofundme literally spans multiple fields and has helped many different people!
Blackboard.
I saw this video of a guy who gave a homeless guy $100 and then had the camera follow him. After some suspicious activity, the guy bought food and gave it all to his homeless friends. Just people on bad times. The guy gave him another $100. Anyone see that?
DeleteGofundme is a great example of collective action. Another story of this site is the project "Save the Home of the King's Jubilee!". Cranford Coulter operates his nonprofit, The King's Jubilee, from his home and car. He goes to Philadelphia and provides a free nutritious meal for homeless people once every week. However, because of physical illness and job loss, Coulter's home was set for sheriff's sale. After 25 years serving food to Philadelphia's homeless population, Coulter found himself faced with his own eviction. Therefore, gofundme has raised $44,585 to help him to keep his home.
DeleteFrom helping the homeless to nearly being homeless.
Great link to The King's Jubilee! Amazing story.
DeleteGoFundMe
DeleteWhen I saw this assignment introduced the other day, the example that immediately popped into my head dealt with Tropicana and the rainforest.
ReplyDeleteSometime in... 2010... I believe - anyway, years ago I got sick. So naturally I started drinking gallons of orange juice. And, being miserable, had nothing better to do than to read my cartons up and down. After checking out the back of one of the cartons, I noticed some sort of "save the rainforest" initiative being promoted.
Long story short, participating tropicana products came with a code that you could enter on their website. If you entered the code, Tropicana would donate enough money to save 100 square feet of rainforest. You could enter as many codes as you wanted (meaning you had to buy more oj) and they also set up other constructs such as team creation to help spur donating. Furthermore, they had a neat little thing where you could pull up Google Maps and see how much rainforest you individually saved.
The fiscal effectiveness of this campaign is contestable. However, what I found to be interesting is that I would have saved 0 square feet of rainforest over the course of my cold if it hadn't been for this particular campaign - and I certainly wasn't the only one participating. So in that sense, the campaign was successful. I do think they could have tried to leverage a social aspect more (although it was 2010 at the time), but the whole idea is at least moving toward collective action in a general sense.
Unfortunately, the campaign ended in 2011, so I can't pull up my own old account and show you guys. Furthermore, this is all I could find from Tropicana themselves. Regardless, the takeaway is that even back in 2010 there was a unique CSR initiative that used collective action and made a tangible difference.
I recently saw a documentary that was a prime example of collective action. The documentary was called Living on One Dollar. In this documentary, four kids went to Guatemala for 56 days and survived on a total of one dollar each per day. The kids worked to show Americans how underprivileged the people of Guatemala are. Over the course of the 56 days, the students learned a lot about the ways of life there. While people did not have a lot to give, they gave what they had and survived every day by working as a community. At the end of the film the students invite viewers to make a donation to help out poor underprivileged communities like the one shown in the film.
ReplyDeleteI found an interesting crowdfunding website called Honeyfund. Honeyfund is not a site that tends to complex problems, but I found it interesting nevertheless. This originally appeared on Shark Tank. If you’ve never seen the show, Shark Tank is where entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to 5 investors. If at least one investor likes your idea, they’ll make you an offer. A couple appeared on the show and pitched their idea of a business they had been working on for 10 years called Honeyfund. This site allows a couple to invite friends and family to make a donation that will help them go on their dream honeymoon, as opposed to getting them a cliché wedding gift. “Why give them a china set when you can help them visit China instead?” Three out of the five investors liked their idea and they walked away with $400,000 to help expand their business! I think this is a cool idea; it solves the problem of getting newlyweds a cliché gift that they’re never going to use. I for one would not be happy if I ended up with a handful of blenders on my wedding day!
ReplyDeleteThe example I found about collective action is Nigeria has Crowdfunding potential despite investor regulations and fraud. Nigeria is the biggest economic aggregate in Africa. Also, it’s one of the fastest growing countries in Internet access that has over 67 million users. Most of the users access the Internet through mobile devices and half of the time it’s used for social media purposes. As it’s mentioned by the author that the best predictive factor for the rate of crowdfund emerge is social media penetration, however, in Nigeria and other parts in Africa, there are only a few platforms online that is extremely limited in a booming economy. Lots of economic opportunities slide away because of lacking fund. If crowdfunding could be introduced and fully embraced in Nigeria, it would bring lots of economic benefits and probably unite millions of civilians to be more independent economically.
ReplyDeleteThis piece of news reminds me of the revolutionary wave of protests spread throughout the countries of the Arab League in 2010, which was also known as “The Arab Spring”. During that political movement, young people used Facebook to organize protests and spread awareness. Comparing this political event with the example I found, it’s clear to see that collective action has great potential in solving both economic and social problems, especially in countries with large population and booming economy.
Crowdfunding Potential in Nigeria
Wiki: Arab Spring
Kickstarter.com is a well known crowd funding resource that allows niche creative projects to gain funding from "backers". This has been a phenomenally successful resource and to date has generated over $1 billion dollars in sales. The website itself contains 15 different category areas that a project can be sorted into. Kickstarter has really helped to solve the problem of funding for creative projects. Examples of successful Kickstart campaigns involve movies, videogames, card games, and electronics.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is a powerful tool, it can also have unintended consequences. One day a creator named Zach Danger Brown was craving some potato salad, so he started a Kickstarter to earn $10 to make potato salad. However within a weeks time his campaign exploded raising over $70,000 dollar with over 7,000 backers. As the campaign grew Zach had to find more incentives to give his backers and was ultimately left with the task of finding out how to distribute potato salad and it's merchandise around the world. Lesson for the wise; be careful what you ask for from the Internet.
Great example Jacob, I had this exact same idea for collective action. Kickstarter.com is a great resource for entrepreneurs to showcase their early stage products and gain crowdfunding. I have actually participated in backing several different products. I have given $1 for 10 different products and $30 for one specific product which I received months later. Crowdfunding can be a great resource because people only need to give a little (like $1) which over time adds up to thousands of dollars due to the large amount of backers.
DeleteThere are many problems that challenge today's world, one of which includes world hunger. I was introduced to a website in one of my previous Eller classes that popped into my head as soon as this collective action assignment was given.
ReplyDeleteFree Rice is a website ran by The United Nations World Food Programme that aims to combat this pressing problem of world hunger while providing a steady source of free education to anyone willing to give this site a visit. Once the user accesses the website, they are able to choose from several different educational subjects such as math, science and geography. For every question asked and answered correctly, the many different sponsors of the site will donate 10 grains of rice. This example of collective action is excellent because the only price to help the cause is time. Not only this, but while donating time to help the cause, one is able to advance their own personal knowledge on various topics.
I have heard of Free Rice and I believe it to be an incredibe and charitable example of collective action. Most charitable websites today require its users to donate money or resources. I like Free Rice because it is one of the first that requires just your time in order to give back to our world. I also believe that their use of a virtual classroom to make their cause known is an excellent idea that other charitable companies should look into.
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ReplyDeleteIn an article I recently read titled:
ReplyDeleteCollective Action and Market Access, I found an interesting perspective on collaborative action as it is seen in the agricultural market.
Turns out in the last two decades there has been a dynamic shift from super markets catering towards upper/middle class to catering more towards poorer members of society. This is due to farmers globally becoming part of a more free market allowing them to set their own prices. Unfortunately as a caveat to becoming more “free” they also lost a lot of governmental back end support that provided much of their fertilizer, growth supplements, machinery, etc… As a result, they have a really hard time meeting demand for cheap goods in super markets. Farmers have had an ordeal overcoming this issue because many of them are uneducated in the business environment, making it difficult for them to get the supplies they need at the prices they need.
Collective action has helped to alleviate some of the concern by establishing certain Farmer Associations that provide assistance with the business procedures of back end farming. They refer farmers to sources where they can procure items that help them to produce at a lower cost, ultimately lowering retail costs, and eventually hitting the root issue… feeding the poor.
Anyhow, it was an interesting read and a creative way to use crowd sourcing to fund and establish a more behind-the-scenes process that really helps societies out!
An example of collective action I found is a small and upcoming company called Plated. They are an online based company devoted to providing healthy meals, conveniently. How it works is customers browse the online menu that is put together by their chefs and place their order(s), then all the ingredients with just enough serving of each is delivered to the customer's doorstep in a refrigerated box to avoid ingredient spoiling.
ReplyDeleteThe problem they try to solve is allow people to maintain busy lifestyles without having to sacrifice healthy meals. Each meal is tailored to only take 30 to 40 minutes to prepare and eliminates the time it takes to grocery shop for these meals.
The company uses collective action by working with local farmers to provide the healthiest and freshest ingredients. They also work with certified chefs to provide the recipes for all of the meals. Plated uses social media sites, like Facebook to market themselves.
The link to the website is posted below:
https://www.plated.com.
One of my favorite collective actions is Lay's famous "Do us a Flavor" challenge. The overall goal is for random citizens to submit their ideas for a new flavor of chip. The winner receives a prize of $1 million! This is a relatively new idea that Lay's has come up with but they were not the first to think of it. There are other companies that have had their patrons submit their ideas or ingredients to help the company come up with a new flavor they will use. However, this has been an incredibly successful collaborative action and the Facebook page alone has over 7 million likes!
ReplyDeleteDo us a Flavor Facebook Page
Official Do us a Flavor Page
From the perspective of the Lay's company, the problem they are most likely trying to solve is a stagnant brand. They may think their company has had the same old flavors of chips for too many years. And the act of getting help from other people is useful because they are getting millions of ideas for new chip flavors. Lay's also holds these contests to generate enthusiasm and excitement over their brand and also by incorporating ordinary people's ideas it makes them feel they have a voice. And when that happens it will generate talk about their company which will result in more sales. From the perspective of the contestant, there isn't technically a problem for them but are most likely entering the contest for the prize if they win. Also, maybe they would like recognition of they are aspiring in the food/service department.
Based completely on the participation of their volunteers, Bountiful Baskets allows families to buy baskets of seasonal fruits and vegetables for a much lower price than retail. The baskets are only available for a select time each weekend and include up to two large laundry hampers full of produce. Each basket costs $15 but retails up to $50 at the grocery store. Bountiful Baskets is a non-profit, co-op that relies on their participants to volunteer to help the organization. Though it is not mandatory, it is their hope that each buyer tries to volunteer at least one out of every 6 or 8 visits. By buying a basket from Bountiful Baskets, customers are also helping support small, local farmers. Customers are even given additional options if they wish to purchase organic only fruits and vegetables.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, the baskets that I have purchased from Bountiful Baskets have been amazing. There are several locations around Tucson and one is very close to my home. The baskets that I have purchased have been overflowing with fresh produce. I have also volunteered a couple times. Volunteering only takes about 20 or 30 minutes and involves setting up and distributing the baskets to the buyers. This organization allows buyers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables that support local farmers and to eat healthy for a much lower price than if the produce had been purchased from a retailer.
http://bountifulbaskets.org/
An example of collective action I found is an online class that is sponsored by the History Channel and The University of Oklahoma. This class teaches American history from the end of the Civil War to present day and is open to college students for credit or anyone else who is interested. This class gives people the chance to learn about their country with people from all parts of it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem the class solves is now it is easy to for students to collaborate and learn together with great resources like the History Channel. The course primary uses video lectures. It also has many tools that allow students to interact with each other. Students can message other students as well as share their notes with each other.
The link to the website is posted below:
https://historychannel.ou.edu/
Siemens has launched a global Siemens Integrity Initiative (SII) that supports companies and projects fighting frauds and corruption through collective action with over $100 million. SII is trying to create a fair market to all participants by focusing on projects that are contributing to the business environment and have scalability and potential to be replicated.
ReplyDeleteBy fighting corruption and fraud through collective action Siemens is trying to raise compliance standards and create awareness by creating alliances between the public and the private sector.
The application is only open to non-profit organizations, international organizations, business associations and academic institutions.
Collective action promotes a fair competitive situation on quality, price, innovation and service, eliminating the temptations of corruption for all the market players. Some of the organizations working with SII are the European Investment Bank and the World Bank Group.
A better example of collective action than the one I previously provided is Yelp. Yelp is a company that allows people to submit reviews about restaurants, bars, stores (shopping), nail salons, events, and many other services. This is especially helpful when someone is new to the area, simply visiting in the area, or just a local trying to find a cool new spot. Yelp provides a list in order of what (type of food or service) you're looking for in the location you're in based on rating. Depending on how many reviews a company has, people can see pictures of different food items, browse the menu, access a map that will give you directions on how to get there, what hours they are open, and tips on what to order. This solves the problem of keeping service providers credible and working their best with the help of many reviewers since they wouldn't want a bad review and is considerably popular with more than 67 million accounts. It is also helpful for small business who want to market themselves on yelp.
ReplyDeleteI use Yelp all the time and I believe it to be really resourceful when choosing places to eat. When i first came to Tucson I did not know much about this town, let alone where to eat. Yelp faciliates the process of choosing where to eat, especially in small towns where all the restaurants are not chains but more mom and pop. However, Yelp does rely on trusting such reviews and each other.
DeleteI never thought of Yelp as a site of collective action but you have explained it really well why it can be. Each user's contribution of reviews or pictures help other people understand what a business is like without experiencing it themselves. Then people can also vote on other people's review on whether it was cool, funny or helpful which may increase the visibility of that review. Sometimes if a restaurant closes, users can report that the location is not available anymore, allowing the rest of the community know.
DeleteWithout Yelp, it may be much harder to find new places to eat or to even feel safe trying a restaurant. With Yelp, people can find restaurants based on their own search terms such as breakfast or lunch and create an opinion based on other people's experience. This may be generally positive to a business but for small businesses, it may be disastrous if the few reviews they have are from isolated negative experiences.
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ReplyDeleteOpen source software is a great example of the power of collective action. I have previous experience in a particular one, Drupal. Drupal is a content management system that is used for website development. It is similar to WordPress, except it offers a little bit more flexibility. In the past, if a user needed to create a login, CAPTCHA, forum etc., they would have to create it completely from scratch. Since these things have been around for a while, there is no reason to recreate the wheel. Drupal users can download specific modules that will give their site most of their desired framework.
ReplyDeleteThere are hundreds of thousands of modules available, and many are consistently updated. With its open source platform, Drupal has over 1 million contributors living in 229 different countries. Drupal is helping to solve the problem of developers that recreate complicated code that have been done in the past.
Just to add a little more detail, anybody can upload and publish their code. In this community, people work collectively to provide useful programs to anybody that needs it. Some users also provide step-by-step guides that show how to download and install their program. It's a great example of collective action, because the contributors aren't rewarded monetarily. They do it to help others and to improve Drupal as a whole. They are a nonprofit organization and their mission is to be the best of the Web by providing the best tools and modules to the public.
DeleteA good example of Collective Action I found is the reviews on Amazon. Actually, Amazon is a online shopping platform. However, they also allow people to write down their feedback about the products they bought. It's very similar as what Yelp did. It's very helpful for people who are new to the products. In the review section, people could write down comments, share using experience and upload pictures about the real products. All of these help other customers to get the idea of the products they want to buy.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I do online shopping at Amazon, I usually go over the products reviews or seller profile reviews first. Users' experience provide me very useful information about the products. It would also help me get a sense of how the company really are.
For example, I recently bought an amplifier at Amazon for my electric drum. I read the reviews carefully, and then decided to buy the most appropriate one for me.
Customer reviews.
One example of crowd sourcing that I have used before is Waze. Waze is a real time app that helps drivers in the area know where there is traffic, accidents, construction, and if there are any cops in the area. This app helps people collaborate together and improve their driving experience. Users on this app can report where there is a construction and road hazard. This app helps people avoid traffic and take faster routes to their destination. There is also a new feature on the Waze app where you can share your route with your friends to let them know how far you are.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example of crowdsourcing! I often find myself using the Waze app when I am stuck in LA traffic and in need of getting somewhere fast. The great thing about the Waze app is that as people input the traffic and road conditions, the app will re-route depending on traffic to get you to your destination as fast as possible. It is by far (in my opinion) the best GPS system out there right now as it updates in real time and not only tells you about traffic conditions but also about cops in the area!
DeleteThere is an amazing website called Indiegogo.
ReplyDelete. This website is a crowd funding for global idea. It helps the people to fund their ideas, then fundraise online. We can find a lot of good ideas on the website. In past days, people sell their invention after they build it. That means, some people never have chance to achieve their idea because of being short of money. Nowadays, people can propose their idea, and put it online; so everyone can see it, and fund it. Internet is vital tool here for those inventors. We can see not only interesting ideas, but also people’s sincerity.
This is a really interesting idea because it can be very hard for people to get their new ideas out in society. It is great that the internet is able to help facilitate the production of new inventions. Other inventors can help their colleagues invent something that may not be possible otherwise. What a great example!
DeleteAn example of collective action can be found on https://www.change.org/. Known as one of the most influential tools for online activism, Change.org is the world’s largest petitioning platform. The creators of Change.org took advantage of the connectivity that technology provides, and used it to allow anyone to start a campaign and immediately mobilize individuals from around the world to support their cause.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem that Change.org works to solve is helping individuals find supporters for their petitions. It doesn’t only solve problems for petition-creators, however. For example, as a subscriber to Change.org, I receive personalized emails about petitions I am likely to be interested in based on previous petitions I have signed. Change.org is a great tool for solving various complex problems around the world, and I highly recommend that everyone check it out – you are likely to find a petition you support that you would have never been exposed to otherwise!
Great example! I have personal experience with change.org and would agree that is a very influential tool. I was a volunteer for the Borgen Project, a national non-profit, and they leveraged this tool and saw great success with many of their petitions.
DeleteOne example of collective action that comes to mind is the idea behind a food bank. Every holiday season, my family helps distribute food to the less fortunate. Every volunteer brings some food that they are willing to donate and we put the food in bags that we hand out to the poor. Some people donate their time, some food, and some money, but it doesn't matter what people donate. It all works out in the end by bringing food to the homeless. Generally, the idea is that if we give back to our community, our community will benefit as a whole because there will be less poor and homeless people. It is obvious that there is a homeless problem in many cities in the US. This problem is not going to get any better unless people help and pitch in. The collective action of the volunteers working together to help the poor will eventually help society as a whole. We are looking to solve a bigger societal problem through the collective action of a few neighborhood friends.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great example! I admire you highlighting the charitable aspect that collective action can take. I would agree that food banks definitely fall into the category. Collective action can be leveraged to solve societal problems that need large and immediate action. Crowdrise has been a popular method to raising money in a charitable sense. I have many friends who leverage this site to gain funds for charities and causes they feel strongly about, whether raising money for a food bank, local humane society, or research for a particular illness.
DeleteAn example of collective action is eBay. eBay allows people and companies to sell items online via auctions, direct buying, or direct buying with the capability to choose how much to offer (direct bartering with the seller as opposed to outbidding competition). Whether it be an unlocked smartphone, a rare autographed jersey by your childhood idol athlete, or clothes, you can find a diverse array of items to bid on or purchase.
ReplyDeleteeBay works to solve how people trade goods around the internet. While Amazon is known as the e-commerce powerhouse and has a similar model, it does not have an auction feature as far as I know of. I have sold a number of items on eBay via auction and also sold some items over Amazon, and with eBay it is a timed auction approach whereas Amazon is first come first served with used items. If I had to guess I would think Amazon will incorporate auctions sometime in the near future, however for now eBay gives people a unique way to buy and sell items online.
A form of collection action that I’m not a fan of is the complaint department. Apple will release a beta (trial) software and or just release a new software update that their customers are almost forced to download. The software that thy put out isn’t thoroughly tested for bugs or errors. Apple waits for their customers to find the error themselves and call in and complain about it, then apple will fix those errors. This form of collective action is very effective and cheap, but it upsets thousands of Apple customers.
ReplyDeleteI think that apple is betting most customers won’t change the brand of their hardware because of how expensive it is. I know apple isn’t the only company that abuses their complaint department.
An example of collective action that I have found to be quite useful is StudyBlue (www.studyblue.com). StudyBlue is a digital tool that allows users to create, edit, and share flashcards, practice quizzes, and study guides with each other. Students can search for their class on StudyBlue and then join the class to find materials to help them study and prepare for exams, quizzes or homework assignments. StudyBlue helps solve the problem of bringing students together to collaborate online in ways that were not previously possible and fosters the sharing of ideas and encourages students to approach studying in a different way.
ReplyDeleteWhile crowd sourcing is often used in business, it is also widely applicable to other fields. In my astronomy class, we used a website called zooniverse. Scientists are often flooded with data and use crowds to help them analyze it. For example, my class used the website to classify star patterns. Users were given pictures of stars and given classification options. Scientists would then use the most frequently answered answer to classify the patterns. This not only cuts down on processing time for scientists, but it also gives students a different way to learn.
ReplyDeletewww.zooniverse.org
An example of collective action I found was a website called Angie’s List. Similar to Yelp!, Angie’s list is a crowd-sourced service where one can contribute and post reviews about a particular business or service. On Angie’s List, a subscriber uses a report-card style scale rating(A-F) to rate the business/company/service based on their pricing, professionalism, punctuality, quality, and responsiveness. Upon the reviews, this service combines the reviews and grades and comes up with an aggregate grade, to which other users may use to recommend to themselves or use for their own personal use for future service. These users can also write their own feedback and commentary on the business/company’s review page.
ReplyDeleteSome of the criticisms that Angie’s List has received is if a subscriber makes a negative complaint towards a company that advertises Angie’s List, that a staff member from Angie’s List will remove that complaint until the subscriber grades the company an A or B grade. Additionally, they are also having major competition with Yelp! which is a free service, as opposed to Angie’s List that charges a subscription fee to join. There have yet to be any response on how Angie’s List are attempting to resolve these concerns.
www.angieslist.com
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ReplyDeleteOne example I have used before is called Wanelo. It is both an app and a website that is aesthetically similar to Pinterest, while more practically aligned with Ebay. It is essentially an online mall where users can discover and purchase products, follow stores and brands, and view popular trends. Products can be sold on an individual basis, like an Ebay user would do, or it can be sold by larger retailers, such as Urban Outfitters.
ReplyDeleteWanelo hopes to make shopping easier and more accessible for users on the go, while also allowing stores and brands to connect with customers on a more engaged level. Many brands, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, have even added a Wanelo Save button to their e-commerce websites.
Sorry, here's the correct link
DeleteI learned about a new technology soon to be released that will be (or could be) a great source of collective action- the new Microsoft HoloLens. I know what I am doing probably qualifies as speculation at this point, but I am excited about this technology nonetheless. It will allow users to connect in established, conventional ways such as the internet and Microsoft's associated apps. However, its greatest use of collective action is that it will remove the last barrier for physical presence, enabling people to convene on all sorts of possible topics. For example, doctors travel all over their state of practice, the country, and even to other nations to learn new and safer healthcare techniques. With this tool, many will be able to learn just as if they were with the teaching physician or surgeon in person. Applications could be created to display and share research and knowledge with those who would not otherwise be able to comprehend it outside of lengthy papers. The purpose of the HoloLens is to change the way you see and empower you to do more. With this technology, it could be just like being in the presence of millions and accessing their knowledge, experience, and points of view. Click on this link to view the webpage -- Microsoft HoloLens
ReplyDeleteAn example of crowdsourcing/collective action that I found is a website called CrowdMed. CrowdMed is a crowdsourcing medicial diagnosis website, in which a community of "Medical Detectives" (medical students, retired physicians, nurses, other medical experts, and even ordinary people who study medicine) can offer suggestions about the diagnosis of a patient's medical condition. These patients usually consist of those who have seen numerous doctors over a long period of time and after paying a lot in medical bills yet cannot still figure out what is wrong with them.
ReplyDeleteThe website's founder, Jared Heyman got inspiration after his own sister Carly was suffering from an illness that could not be diagnosed from her doctors. After Jared himself got to consult with his own community of medical experts they were able to find out, diagnose, and treat her condition and Carly was able to live healthy again (more about the story can be read here). This ultimately led him to CrowdMed.
Patients like Carly can anonymously submit a case including their symptoms, medical history, relevant tests, etc. and can offer a cash incentive (which are usually donated to non-profit charities for medical research such as Watsi) to the Medical Detectives that help the patient with the case. Patients can then communicate with the Medical Detectives and select the best answers of suggestions of their diagnosis, to which they can then receive a report that the patient can show to their own doctor to look at and make the final diagnosis and treatment plan.
CrowdMed is a great way for patients such as Carly to get their unanswered questions answered and also for many medical experts and people studying medicine to help out patients get closer to a diagnosis. It is a great way for medical experts from all over the world to collaborate with each other as well as with the patient, saving them time and money as well as delivering results by improving the patients' lives.
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ReplyDeleteYour example reminds me of the website, Renttherunway.com where women can essentially "rent" high quality and high end dresses for a special occasion for a cheaper price, instead of buying this $800 dress that they will only wear once. The website offers Prada, Chanel, Jessica McClintok, Sherri Hill etc.
DeleteAfter reading through all the comments and not wanting to repeat any other collective action examples, I came to think that reddit.com is an example as well. Its slogan is "the front page of the internet". Reddit serves multiple uses as a social networking site, entertainment site and a news site. Users make an account and subscribed to certain "sub-reddits" which are basically areas of links and posts with a certain topic, for example the Celeb sub-reddit is only posts and pictures only related to celebrities. They have sub-reddits for any and everything you can possibly think of, from evolution theories, Game of Thrones threads, trees and plants, best movies of 2015 so far...etc. Users are the ones who create and post in these sub reddit categories, and can vote "up" and "down" if they like a post or not which affects its popularity and the amount of people that will see it.
ReplyDeleteReddit allows users to see real time events and issues, while also being able to express their free speech and comment with their thoughts and opinions. Reddit allows users to ask questions related to the sub reddit, which in hand can help the user out. For example, in the Chicago sub reddit, a new Chicagoan can ask for advice on the best restaurants, housing, bars, jobs. To me personally, Reddit combines google, yelp, Angie's list, and the Wall Street Journal, most of which have been previously talked about as collective action examples.
Digitalizing books from the early ages to now for most of the libraries was a dream due to the high cost associated with this project and the effort needed to complete it. With the humans’ brain and the help of technology, nothing is impossible.
ReplyDeleteAs a users of websites like Facebook, Craigslist, we know that Security words is used to distinguish humans from bots, abuses, or spams to secure websites from any automated attack, or collecting sensitive information. The security words, or what it called CAPTCHAs, rely on the inability of robots to solve distorted text.
Taking this security method a step further, Luis von Ahn, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, who helped in developing the CAPTCHA security, relies how much time people waste to secure those websites. “"Approximately 200 million of these are typed every day by people around the world. Each time you type one of these, essentially you waste about 10 seconds of your time," he says. If you multiply that by 200 million, you get that humanity as a whole is wasting around 500,000 hours every day, typing these annoying squiggly characters."”
Therefore, Von Ahn came up with the reCAPTCHA idea, which gives the users a word that the Optical character-recognition (OCR) software could not read from the scanned book for the libraries, or newspapers who want to digitalize those copies. The same reCAPTCHA is given to multiple people to insure that they are typing the same word and then use it to digitize the books. Nowadays, reCAPTCHA is used to improve Google map by showing some words you can see in the street annotating images, and building machine learning datasets.
For more info:
Web Security Words Help Digitize Old Books
Google reCAPTCHA
In a short, reCAPTCHA is a collective action example because it uses people's effort to digitize library books,and newspapers while offering the same level of security to websites.
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ReplyDeleteI found an example of collective action on the TV show Shark Tank. The website is called Nearly Newlywed. Nearly Newlywed is a website that lets brides buy and sell wedding dresses after their wedding. This results in wedding dress prices being a lot less than the normal retail price. This allows brides to buy wedding dresses that are normally out of their price range and at the same time let brides sell their dresses when they no longer have any use for them. This website is different than rental gown websites because you are allowed to alter your dress and the website will buy back your dress afterwards for 50% of what you paid. All of the dresses are on consignment, meaning they don’t purchase the dress until they have sold it themselves. When a dress is sold both the website and the original owner gets a cut of the profit.
ReplyDeleteThe owner of Nearly Newlywed describes her business very well when she pitched her idea on Shark Tank. Here is the link to watch Nearly Newlywed on shark tank (starts at 2:00): <a href="youtube.com/watch?v=pPBzrgI-afs”>Nearly Newlywed on Shark Tank</a>
The link to Nearly Newlywed’s website: <a href=“nearlynewlywed.com/”>Nearly Newlywed</a>
You should add https:// to your links to work .. :)
DeleteWhile this may seem unconventional, one example of collective action in our society is the use of vaccination campaigns, such as the ones published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Often times we think of collective action in terms of social movements, such as raising money or crowdsourcing for an idea, but it can also be used in medicine in order to tackle the wicked problem of pervasive diseases. For vaccinations, collective action is vital in establishing "herd "immunity"; if enough people choose to be vaccinated against a certain disease, that disease will no longer affect that society or propagate widespread mortality and morbidity. With a sufficient number of individuals participating in vaccinations, even those who are not vaccinated will be protected, since the disease is not present in the vast majority of individuals and therefore cannot be contracted as easily by those who are not immune. This widespread protection improves public health as a whole, which many consider to be often times complex and hard to control.
ReplyDeleteThe CDC supports this collective action towards better health by providing informational guides and promotional materials to help advocate vaccinations in society. The available resources are able to be used by individuals to start their own vaccination campaigns in their individual communities, allowing people to take initiative on their own rather than relying on a widespread political action or mandate. This increases education and action, improving public health on both the local and national level.
Often times collective action can be associated with funding entrepreneurial endeavours. However, I was pleased to find a more environmentally conscientious method of collective action. The site is called http://ioby.org/. Ioby is a crowdsourcing fundraising site which encourages users to engage, create or fund local environmental projects. This organization is unique in that the really emphasise the local aspect to get as many loyal users. Examples of previous projects include building a community garden. While this is primarily only in New York City, expect the site to grow.
ReplyDeleteAn an example of collective action is website called Nextdoor. Being honest how many of us really know who our neighbors are or what is going on around our neighborhood? Nextdoor is a place where groups of neighborhoods are created. You will be part of a neighborhood based on where you live. Nextdoor's goal is to use the power of technology to build stronger and safer neighborhoods. All the content in the website is generated by your neighbors. They will inform you of the things going on around your community. Nextdoor is availble on the androind and apple stores. Nextdoor provides a place for neighbors to inform each other of lost and found, crime and safety, classifieds, events, recomendations and other important information. It is a easy way to be haerd and propose ideas that will help your neighborhood be a safer place. Its is free to join. Here is the link Nextdoor
ReplyDeleteAn example of collective action that I use on a regular basis is Stubhub. It is a website that allows users to buy and sell tickets to sporting events, concerts, and other ticketed events across the country. It has a very easy user interface and is extremely useful if someone is looking to purchase tickets to an event that is sold out from the original provider of tickets. The selling party can place their personal tickets on the site with a price that seems fair in comparison to others and buying users can then either purchase them or make a counter offer. Purchasing users can also give the seller a review on fairness of price and quality of the tickets. This allows future users to have more confidence in their purchase.
ReplyDeleteOne example of collaborative action related my life that I always used is called Deal moon. It has both App and online website. The website will upgrade all deals and discount information from most brands and shopping stores. Therefore, people can type the keywords to find the specific stores’ deals they want or just browse the lists of all appearing deal information such as the hottest and newest trends. There is a BBS so that people can post and trade used products or share some useful information, like rental home. This website focus on the Chinese people staying and studying U.S even the website has English version. Especially, it helps Chinese freshman a lot. Most them can go through online shopping avoid cannot buy anything without cars firstly.
ReplyDeleteDealmoon
sorry, upgrade the link
DeleteDealmoon
1. An example of collective action that refers to my active participation in would have to be Hypebeast. Not only does the site act as a platform for carefully curated clothes, cars, art, shoes, =and culture. But is also platform for discussion of the who's-who to your average user. Products that have multi-million dollar marketing campaigns behind them can make or break there future from a feature on the site. Furthermore, they are one of the largest online retailers of luxury street wear online or brick and mortar. This dominant control and unique positioning within the market has caused them to have much more influence than a typical editorial site. Their user-base consists of mainly men, and is a more punk-rock version of GQ mixed with Nordstrom.com
ReplyDeletewww.HypeBeast.com
2. Describe the types of problems it is working to solve.
In past times a majority of the influence and power within the fashion world was contained by only a select few. However, since the emergence of a platform such as hypebeast the power has been given back to the consumer. Not only have they allowed for a worldwide community to discuss trends in a multitude of markets, but also consume the goods they prefer, and protest the ones they don't like. It has made a generation conscious about menswear and has been influential in or given birth to the likes of Pyrex, #BeenTrill#, a multitude of collaborations, A$AP Mob, leather joggers, and countless other things that have emanated through our culture.
I recently had the chance to use PleyWorld which is a creative crowd sourcing platform. PleyWorld is Lego's own crowd sourcing platform that gives users the power to submit cool Lego toy ideas, vote on the best ideas, and then see them come to life. I recently used PleyWorld when buying my younger brother a birthday present. I was able to go online and vote on a toy someone made up that I thought my brother would like and then buy the toy a week later. This platform enables Lego fans to interact with each other and be creative to come up with innovative ideas for new Lego toys. When a user’s idea gets 5,000 votes PleyWorld will create the idea, and some ideas you can watch come to life in as little as two weeks!
ReplyDeletePleyWorld Link
The Eller College of Management offers a unique way of utilizing the idea of collective action through their Entrepreneurship program. Students are separated into groups that they choose for themselves and then brainstorm ideas they wish to research further. Collective action is an action taken by a group of individuals in order to increase status or simply reach a common goal. This has been a common theme in tandem with the increased dependence on technology.
ReplyDeleteA group of individuals at the University of Arizona seek to collectively build a mobile platform that aids in the betterment of relationships. As a result of the fast paced world we live in, particularly in the United States, it is important to use technology as a way to increase cohesiveness between individuals instead of alienation it has seemed to cause. The application uses algorithms to allow machine learning for the purpose of improving relationships through incorporating a pairs personalized components.
One example of crowdsourcing is called FirstGiving, which allows peer-to-peer donations for non-profits, grassroots organizations and direct donations. They differentiate their donations by emphasizing the peer-to-peer opportunities. They also allow you to customize your fundraising profiles by creating a custom brand, unlimited events and photos and videos. It's working to solve problems with complex donation processes by making it really simple and giving you tons of options for your crowdsourcing. It minimizes confusion by letting you pull up your crowdsourcing data in a simple manner and allowing you to track your progress visually.
ReplyDeleteFirstGiving
RateMyProfessors.com is a review site that uses collective action to help university students plan their class schedules. After taking a class, students can visit the site and rate the course and their professor on a scale of 1-5 in “helpfulness”, “clarity”, and “easiness”. The student is also asked to rate their interest in the course, the course’s textbook use, and give a short written review. Optional questions include whether attendance was mandatory and whether the professor was “hot” or not. The site then averages and displays professors’ ratings and reviews for prospective students to view.
ReplyDeleteUsing this collective knowledge, RateMyProfessors.com allows students to more efficiently choose the courses that are right for them. In addition to finding the highest ranked professors, students can find out whether they’ll need to buy a textbook for a course, whether it has daily assignments or group projects, and most importantly, whether or not attendance is mandatory. Professors may also use the site to find out what students are saying about their teaching style or course load.
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/
While I planned on using Relay for Life as my primary example, I wanted to mention a shift towards collective action regarding cybersecurity and defense from cyber attacks. As we have seen recently, many international corporations have not been able to stop cyber attacks, including the likes of JPMorgan Chase.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, in recent years, defense against malicious software and cyber attacks have become such an issue that experts have created groups to pool intelligence in order to stop such breaches of security. The Department of Homeland Security even funded a project to produce a document known as "Lessons Learned" to share the story of how security researches came together to fight off malicious attacks (Conflicker Working Group). This form of collection action by sharing intelligence of cyber threats is increasing in popularity and importance, as large breaches can harm everyone in the economy.
Cybersecurity.
Another example I thought of is a website called AppVested.
This website or tool is similar to Kickstarter; however, it is specifically geared towards creators of Apps. Members of their community can choose which apps they wish to invest in, and can conduct the process through online forms and wire transfers. In regards to the problem it is solving, it is beneficial for both investors and App Creators to more easily connect with each other and provide increased accessed to unique ideas. The concepts are screened by a panel of experts prior to passing the ideas to potential investors, which increases the quality of App ideas that investors can see on a daily basis.
Ultimately, both ideas utilize a community-based approach to solve increasingly complex problems.
Adam,
DeleteGreat example with Kickstarter. I know that there are so many people out there with great app ideas, but don't have the money to fund it, or for that matter, don't even know where to begin in the process of developing it. Appvested will connect individuals with app ideas with investors who will fund the project and get it started to bring it to market.
An example of collective action that I found online is the United Nations trying to make many steps to find a solution for climate change, and helping countries cope with climate change. Global warming is a very real thing, and just the slightest change in permanent temperature can make drastic changes on this earth. The United Nations is trying to get people together to make a collective change as a collective group to be more environmentally conscience and responsive to change.
ReplyDeleteThe Problem of global warming that the United Nations is solving a really important one. Although they are not close to actually solving the problem, they have made progress by collective action. Collective Action brings people together by making them aware of whats going on and what can possibly be the consequence if we keep ignoring this problem.
http://www.un.org/en/un60/60ways/envir.shtml
Google Wants You To Complete its U.S. Map
ReplyDeleteThe Google Maps we know today is pretty great. You can search either via address, or type in something more vague like “New-York style pizza” and it will aggregate terms from sources such as Yelp to give you accurate results. Google is no stranger to crowdsourcing either, following its acquisition of the community-driven navigation app Waze, Google has implemented live traffic congestion information and user-submitted geotags for road obstructions and speed traps. But now it is leveraging the collective power of its users in a new way.
Google’s new tool, Map Maker, allows users in smaller countries where the search giant has not yet mapped to take matters into their own hands. In a matter of weeks, users in Romania have created maps good enough for navigation, and now about a year after its inception, the map is nearly 100% complete. Now Google is looking to implement this same program in the U.S. allowing users to tweak existing maps and to add more detail and create what they call a “living, breathing map and canvas for the people who live there.” This will allow people to do things like name individual dorm buildings on campus, annotate which parks have soccer fields, or outline the border of your neighborhood. By utilized the collective power of locals, Google can make its maps infinitely more detailed, personal, and ultimately useful for its users.
Link
An excellent example of a firm that's implementing a crowd sourcing and collective action business model is Dell. Currently, they have two programs that are aimed at promoting social entrepreneurs and creative/innovative solutions to complex issues facing mankind. Through the platforms of technology and open innovation, students and non-students can submit ideas or models that are at any stage of development. Collectively, individuals can offer advice, impart wisdom regarding a solution or situation, and essentially provide the nudge needed for an idea to move forward.
ReplyDeleteDell’s Social Innovation Challenge rewards innovative ideas/solutions with seed money and has awarded over $800,000 since 2007. Some of the issues and projects that are being undertaken includes: Solar Conduction Dryers, recycling rubber tires to construct tennis shoes, and the creation of solar power food dehydrators. Seemingly, Dell has recognized the need for collective creativity, and they’re “putting their money where their mouth is”. More information can be found at DellChallenge.org. Channel you inner entrepreneur and check out their website.
Mark. Glad you were able to post your comment. Remember to use the link in your post. I'll do it for you as others may be interested in seeing Dell's Social Innovation Challenge. They've been doing this for years. DellChallenge.Org
DeleteYes, I will make sure it's present next time. I originally composed my post in Word and the link was there. Regardless, after paste-ing, I will be sure to confirm it's presence.
DeleteOk. Thanks.
DeleteA good example of Collective Action I found is https://poshmark.com/.
ReplyDeletePoshmark is an online second hand platform which allows you post you beloved good online to see through smart phone. It's very innovative because it's easy to sell instead of you have to drive all to the second hand store.
In Poshmark, if you log in as facebook account, you can see all your friend who has poshmark account and if you add them as your poshmark friend you can easily see their updates and get notifications. Poshmark also protect both buyers and sellers.
Google, Amazon and Microsoft are using collective action to get AdBlock to stop blocking advertisements on their sites. From analyzing their ad data, companies have found that they can generate up to thirty percent more ad revenues if their ads were going unblocked on their sites. AdBlock has currently been downloaded more than 300 million times worldwide and has over 50 million active monthly users.
ReplyDeleteYahoo.
Please remember to add your links to your comments (and replies). Go to the original assignment at the top of this link to see how to do this.
ReplyDeleteA good example of collective action is Yahoo Answers and Baidu Zhidao.
ReplyDeleteThese two websites are similar, only that Baidu Zhidao is Chinese. They provide a platform for users to ask and answer questions. There are two ways to find out the answers. One is just type in and search your question. You can find others had asked the question before you do. And get the answer. Or if no one ask the question before, you can post your question and wait for other users to answer. One user may not get the right answer but if you look through, you will get a better idea.
In The Economic Times, there is an article discussing an interview with the columnist Thomas Friedman and what he believes is how we should be approaching global issues. Friedman believes that with collective action, the global problems can be addressed more effectively as apposed to "adapt" to them. He believes we all should be taking this approach with economic growth, climate change and even some of the resent arising problems such as ISIS. However, is this idea really realistic? Is it possible to engage in collective acting as a global force?
ReplyDeleteGlobal Collective Action.
When walking to the movie theater, some of us might have faced a situation that “Which movie should I choose? Is it worth for the ticket price?” This situation bothers me a lot until I got to know one website called IMDb. It is a great example of collective action for those who wants to get good idea of which movie to go with. IMDb(Internet Movie Database) is the biggest online database of information related to movies, as well as some television shows and video games. The information is including cast, production crew, fictional characters, biographies, plot summaries, trivia and reviews. IMDb also invited users to rate any movie on a scale from 1 to 10, and use the weighted mean as the total score for the film. Using this crowdsourcing tool, people can get a peek of films they are interested by browsing the reviews and scores either on the IMDb apps or website. People can also share their opinions after watching a film. I really think IMDb provides a massive information database of variety films which really helps people a lot.
ReplyDeleteIMDb
IMDb - Wikipedia
An example of collective action is a group in Facebook called “Europa Alla Vamos”. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/399670820137245/
ReplyDeletePeople from all over the world communicate their experiences in places that are in Europe. They share advice to others and tell you the “to do’s” and “what not to do’s”. These comments are posted in this closed group. People request to be added into the group, which they eventually will. The group has already 4,713 members. It all started with a girl from Argentina that I met in a hostel in Rome. She created the group and started adding different people from a hostel she was currently living in Italy. The group has grown over the years. Its really cool because if you are traveling anywhere to Europe and feel unsure about certain things you can immediately post a question in the group. People will respond and give you feedback based on their experiences. However the problem is that the majority of the comments are posted in Spanish. Though I’m pretty sure that if comments are posted in a different language you can also get a response since its made up of people from all over the world. This group was very helpful during my study abroad experience in Europe last semester. You were able to ask really specific questions regarding a region you were traveling in Europe and get an answer and helpful advice. In general I believe it really helps people who are traveling to Europe to gain more insight about different places they are visiting or planning to visit as well as recommendations.
An example of collective action is one of the main face book groups that are being used in the Middle East. people are using those groups to inform each other with what's going on with communications are being cut off. I have also seen those groups being used for finding information about people who are missing or kidnaped. People inform the families about where was the last time they were seen and other helpful information that helped brought back many people to their families. I have also seen it being used by youth group to organize many volunteering events. I believe that those groups are making a huge change in those countries. One of the things that i thought it was nice is when those groups are being used during the Arab spring to raise money for the people who where suffering and they needed the medical help. I was part of this when my friends and I decided to do an online bake sale where we will bake something and sending to anywhere in the U.S and 100% of the sales will go to the Hope organization that was in charge of getting aid to those people. it felt rewarding honestly that you can use Facebook for something good.
ReplyDeleteThe collective action example I found was an app done by Code for America. This app is called “Adopt-a-Hydrant” and was written by Erik Michaels Ober for the city of Boston.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of the app is to allow its users to “adopt” a hydrant. What this means is that the users can adopt a specific hydrant on the app, meaning that they must maintain the hydrant during heavy snowfall. The issue was that hydrants were buried in snow during winters, which would cause delays when firefighters were trying to access the hydrants. The app encouraged numerous Bostonians to adopt hydrants and give them unique names. It also acts like a game because someone can claim your hydrant if you neglect it.
Since this app was written by Code for America, its code is open to the public. This code can be tailored to solve other problems that cities may face. Although cliché, it is incredible what can be accomplished with the right technology and teamwork.
Links: http://www.codeforamerica.org/apps/adopt-a-hydrant/
http://www.adoptahydrant.org/
One of my all-time favorite apps is Pinterest. I can easily spend an hour scrolling through boards and “pinning” stuff on my own boards. I think this is a good example of collective action because people can pin just about anything from anywhere in the internet. The way it works is that a person can be surfing the web and then if they come across something that interests then, they can decide to pin the item. This can be a picture, article, GIFs, recipe, or just about anything online. It is then placed under a certain category or “Board”, which people can then browse and put onto their own boards. This is one of my go-to apps when I’m looking for ideas, recipes, outfits, quotes, workouts, memes, etc. The content is usually pretty good because it is user aggregated. The content has already been generated on the internet, but it is the users that decide what gets pinned and then categorizes it. This app has a great user interface and has proven to be useful in everyday life, at least for me.
ReplyDeleteOne of an example of collective action is XDA Forum. It is a forum that developers and users all contribute to make android system better and stable to use. Basically, some developers make and release the newest version of android ROMs with several fancy functions. Then, users download those ROMs and test them. They help developers find bugs and improve the ROMs. Therefore, developers could make more nice android ROMs and users could use these ROMs. XDA Forum created a positive cycle for android eco-system.
ReplyDeleteXDA Forum
One of the most inspiring and useful forms of collective action is the website: "Go Fund Me." Recently, I have known quite a few people who have used the website to help fund loved ones who have fallen ill to a horrible disease or to fund funerals of loved ones who have passed away. It is a simple and easy way for people to connect to others and share their story. Others can easily donate money with just a click of a button and even choose to be anonymous. By using this site, people who ask for donations can reach millions of people around the world and touch the lives of others with their stories and even inspire strangers to donate to a good cause.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gofundme.com/