Smartsourcing via Amazon Mechanical Turk

Introduction to Smartsheet Crowdsourcing 

Smartsheet Crowdsourcing is a feature available to Smartsheet subscribers that enables them to submit tasks – individually or in volume – to an on-demand workforce powered by Amazon Mechanical Turk. Virtually any task that a person can complete using online instructions can now be outsourced using Smartsheet. The Crowdsourcing feature puts you in control of your project by enabling you to break it down into small steps, resulting in faster turnaround times and higher quality answers. Work requests usually range in price from $0.02 - $5.00 per task, and you set the budget according to the difficulty of the task and how long it may take to answer. Typically a task assigned a value of $0.05 should take 30 seconds to complete (equivalent to $6/hr).

Crowdsourcing example

 

How can you use Smartsourcing?

  1. Surveying: An easy way to solicit the opinions of a large group of skilled workers.
  2. Transcription: Quickly convert audio files to text. (Ideal for files 5 min. or less)
  3. Web Research: Any task which can be researched online can be outsourced. Price comparison, list building, the possibilities are endless.
  4. Image Tagging: Ask workers to describe, screen, or tag images that you have uploaded to Smartsheet or to which you have linked.
  5. Copywriting: Outsource the research and writing of short phrases, paragraphs, or articles. You describe what you need and choose from the best response provided.
  6. Website Testing: Workers can review pages for broken links, typos, clarity of messaging, etc.
  7. Keyword Research: Get a second opinion on what words people would use to find your site and use these as your keywords.

It’s very simple to get started. Advanced, Team, and Enterprise Smartsheet subscribers have access to the Crowdsourcing feature. Monthly charges include Amazon fees plus the cost for work performed (number of tasks completed * cents paid per task) and a low Smartsheet processing fee ($.01 + 10% per task completed – usually $10-$30 per 1,000 tasks). Consulting services are available upon request.

This information is also available in a one page intro

Interested in learning more? Read about the key features

For more detail on how to submit and manage work, download the user guide.