Here's an InfoWorld feature article by Lena West that you ought to read if you're in business and have been frustrated in the past by traditional predictive marketing tactics like focus groups and surveys. I've done focus groups and surveys and have rarely, if ever, had any confidence in the outcomes. Now comes crowdsourcing in tandem with technologies that can pair the concept with a 24×7 global reach and new digital analysis tools. Turns out, as Ms. West notes again and again by example in her piece, it can have remarkable results... if you're brave. I would also recommend Ms. West's blog, called Social Media 360.
Crowdsourcing isn't going to answer every question or identify every new opportunity. Mob rule isn't necessarily a better or more reliable source of innovative inspiration than some lone technology geniuses working more or less independently. I'm reminded, for example, of John F. Kennedy's famous statement made one night at a White House dinner gathering:
I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.
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