People hunger for things mundane and esoteric, and they are increasingly turning to the so-called crowd for solutions, thanks to the rise of platforms that facilitate the matchmaking.
According to InformationWeek, Slide, the social entertainment company acquired by Google last fall, launched Prizes.org, a website that entices users to complete a task, or solve a problem, for a small monetary reward. Like so…
“Help me name my new screen printing company.”
“Plan my romantic honeymoon in Italy.”
“Find me the best deal on a rental car.”
“Plan an educational and fun weekend getaway for my boys.”
“Help me gain muscle mass fast.”
While contest sites that solicit work “on spec” have been frequently criticized as a form of labor exploitation, Prizes.org might escape such condemnation if its users continue to submit contests that attempt to solicit general knowledge work rather than specialized skills, reasons InformationWeek.
This isn’t the first time Google has attempted to offer a “pay for answers” service, reminds Geek.com. Some of you will probably remember Google Answers which ran for over four years, but was closed down in 2006. With Answers you could pose any questions and offer a cash reward for the best answer.
