Auckland Company Searches World for Talent

Media release September 11, 2011

Auckland Company Searches World for Talent

An Auckland business has literally gone global in its search for the best ideas to help create its unique data backup company.

Data Protect is among a growing number of businesses turning to the web and the innovation of crowdsourcing to get everything from creating logos to building entire websites achieved.

Put simply, crowdsourcing takes tasks that are usually carried out by an employee or contractor, and sends the brief to a group of people around the world using the internet. The “crowd” takes the brief, and then sends their ideas back to the business, which in turn pays for the best one.

Entrepreneur Mark Hayes says when he was setting up his company Data Protect, he first used crowdsourcing to come up with a name for the business. Once that was done, he used it to create a logo and design Data Protect’s website.

“I got back the submissions from various designers around the world and took the best elements from each one that I liked,” says Hayes.

He now uses crowdsourcing for most of his projects.

“If I need stationery or business cards designed, then I will put it on a crowdsourcing website and post up a brief and have some fantastic designs come back to me.

“I can also have banner ads, flash animations and a raft of other projects done for me,” says Hayes.

Hayes says one of the many benefits of crowdsourcing is that it’s like having 50 people working for you, but without the cost. In that regard, it’s perfect for small businesses that are on a tight budget.

“The main advantage is having multiple logo, product and web designers from around the world designing for you at a reasonable cost to you and your business. It’s an incredibly cost competitive way to do things.”

And while Hayes says crowdsourcing has a raft of advantages, to avoid pitfalls it’s important to remember that communication is key.

“You need to be specific with your briefs and what you want to accomplish,” he says.

“If you want a logo or a design to look a certain way then you need to specify what you want and give them feedback on what they have provided to make sure that you are getting what you want out of the process.”

To see how crowdsourcing has worked for Data Protect, visit www.dataprotect.co.nz.

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