CrowdsourcingPart 1

Trends in Communication & Information TechnologyJOUR 4871-003

Crowdsourcing is an ESSENTIALpart of journalism now

Video (2:45min)

A wealth of crowdsourcing tools for journalists

Opportunistic crowdsourcing

Terrorist bombing

Potential crowdsourcing tools?

Opportunistic crowdsourcing

Terrorist bombing

Potential crowdsourcing tools

Geofeedia: draw map, find recent tweets, photos, video from the crowd

Opportunistic crowdsourcing: Geofeedia

Geofeedia: collage view

Opportunistic crowdsourcing: Geofeedia

Opportunistic crowdsourcing: Social apps

Asking the crowd for (free) help

View webpage

(Similar: Meporter app)

Ask users of mobile apps for photos, video

Crowdsourcing via Google Hangout On Air

Video (2:30min)

Public Insight Network crowdsourcing

Academic partners: CU-Boulder, Arizona State,University of Missouri, University of Montana

• Online tools to find otherwise difficult-to-find sources, experts for your reporting

• 140,000 sources in database

• Collaborative opportunities with 60 other newsrooms, university journalism programs

• Work with CU’s “PIN analysts”

•EXAMPLE: CU concealed-carry, guns in classroom

Who can be a PIN source? ... ANYONE!

• College student• Your mom, dad, sister, brother• Ski instructor• Politician• Police officer• Homeless person (who uses library for Internet)

• Musician• Private pilot • NCAR scientist ...

Public Insight Network crowdsourcing

Pay for content collected by contributors

London-based; operates worldwide

Demotix daily e-mail assignments

Smartphone app for Demotix reporters, photographers

Pay for content collected by contributors

Pay users of mobile app for photos, video

• Make assignments to the crowd, eyewitnesses

• $4 - $100• Ask for photos, video,

fact-checking, etc.• Free smartphone app for

“Gigwalkers”

Pay users of mobile app to help you

Crowdsourcing is HUGE (not just for news)