project management

Read Write Start has an article about a new Give Work  iPhone App which allows for tasks to be given to workers in refugee camps via cell signals. Tasks are small such as searching for copyrights on images but the potential is huge. The two groups that teamed up are Samasource and CrowdFlower.

Could microwork based on digital tasks become a  new and viable economic model, and provide a needed boost to Developing countries? Software as a Service (SaaS) has certainly taken root and is common in business practices–your life in the Cloud.

I remember reading about the explosion of cell phones throughout the African continent and how the economic models were beginning to change–cell minutes being traded as currency–in the time frame since the initial boon, connectivity may be better today making the LaaS market ripe for potential. While reading the original post my mind was instantly drawn to the notion of using microtasks for QA testing of new websites and applications-could Labor as a Service become a new way to deliver better tested products in shorter time (all while helping to increase the welfare of others)?

I’d be interested in hearing what you think about this topic, leave a comment…