The Case
The TopCoder case is intended to provide you with an overview of how a platform-based firm uses contests to create software. It provides an introduction to the application of crowdsourcing for the relatively complex and important task of software development.
From the case, the slides presented on the topic (to be posted) and readings articles like the Wired article ("How Airbnb and Lyft Finally Got Americans to Trust Each Other" on information sharing apps, consider other collective action/information sharing applications that are used to solve potentially complex problems.
Because we are commenting and posting ideas on a blog, the goal is to be interactive (see D2L rubric). The questions posted are mostly to provide a way to respond to the case and other readings. Finally, please read what others wrote. Do your best not to post a "new" comment or post, if it has already been mentioned previously. Rather, add to the post/comment. Please consider the questions posted below, and address the ones you want to answer according to the cases, but also add your opinions and/or experiences. You do not need to answer all of the questions; perhaps explore one or two in depth. Comments count.
I realize that this may not be typical of the way you write-up cases, but that's ok. Maybe we'll learn more from each other this way.
Instructions: Answer one question or comment from TopCoder (Qs 1-3) and one post or comment about collective action/"sharing economy" (Q4).
- If you were a senior manager at TopCoder, what are the main capabilities you would need to develop to succeed at running the firm? Are these capabilities similar or unique from managing a more traditional firm?
- As a client of TopCoder what would your main areas of concern be with this type of outsourcing? Has TopCoder done enough to overcome them?
- The CEO believes that project demand will automatically create programmer supply. What are the reasons for doubting or agreeing with this core assumption of the business model?
- Find an example of collective action or an information sharing app. Describe and link to the digital tool. Explain what it does, how it works, and the types of problems it is working to solve. Do not use examples from those discussed specifically in the article (e.g., Airbnb, Lyft, Uber), but there are NEW examples of these and others that you can discuss.
Q3.
ReplyDeleteWhile crowdsourcing is the unavoidable path for future. we should take the look at the drawback so we can perhaps avoid some of those. In my opinion, the drawback of crowdsourcing would be the biggest reasons of the prohibition of the growth of demand for these kind of project.
First, to me, crowdsourcing sound like the opposite of confidentiality, since you need to provide some information about the project. The competitors may try to steal some information by sending people to participate into the project.
Second, let said you done a great job keep your project private during the crowdsourcing challenge. The new problem comes. The last of information about the project perhaps lead the candidate to another direction and leading many of them to produce useless outcomes.
Lastly, there is no guarantee that the end work provided is made by the candidate, or is never submitted to other competitions before. These non-guarantees bring risk to the utilization of the work. Some company ended up spending so much more time on legal fees by crowdsourcing the task than by outsourcing the task.
Q4.
The application I want to share is called FishMarket App. While Uber create a platform for rider to find a driver, the FishMarket is for seafood buyer to find the local seller who sales the fresh. In Italy, University of Bari try to create a experimental application that build a private network for seafood market. The user guide is simply. First, the fisherman updates information about what they plan of hauling during the trip. Buyers and fisherman will negotiate and make deal on air before the trip end. At the end of the day, the they trade.
The main purpose of the applications is to save the food resources. Fisherman in Bari was not guarantee to sales all the fish they took in the past. The unsold fish is hard to preserve or manufacture for others food products. But now, by knowing possible buyers before the end of the days, fisherman can decide whether not to release some of the aquatic animals back to the ocean if the over-hailing. And credible resources record that Bari fisherman handle about 100 thousand tons of fish per year, the number should be cut down.
Another advantage is the speed of transaction. With knowledge of the market in advance, fisherman and seafood buyers make decision in advance. Usually, after fishermen finishes the day work, they starts prepare for pick up right a way because deals have been made through the app. For buyers the get fresher seafoods. This is a win-win.
Link: https://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/fish-market-app-connects-fishermen-to-buyers-reduce-catch-waste.html
I am not so sure that some of the coders would be willing to take on extremely difficult projects. With job completion and the customers ultimate satisfaction being an important factor in being chosen for subsequent jobs, there could be resistance to taking more complicated jobs. Those jobs would run the risk of a coder getting a bad rating. This would lead to them not getting chosen for other jobs that they may want to do. This may leave companies not getting enough coders wanting to jump on their projects. I think that it would be a good idea for Top Coder to assign difficulty to projects and weight the amount of credit that coders get according to the project difficulty.
DeleteOn the other hand however, it is possible that coders will always want to jump on those projects. Normally, harder projects will mean larger earnings. If they get good ratings on those large projects, it could solidify them as top coders in the community. It is very much a risk vs. reward issue.
In regards to your first answer to Q3, PJ, confidentiality, "...The competitors may try to steal some information by sending people to participate into the project", this sounds to me like a supporting view of project demand automatically creating programmer supply. Since, programmers are being sent to 'spy' on other programmers and this ultimately means more project demand. If you were to say, as I think you are, that the supply is being limited in fear of 'spy', then I would argue innovation requires such 'spy' and others willingly to build off of what is. An example is Malware, or using the website pastebin.com, because users submit their code to a place that is shared with the worldwide web. This example is particularly strong because Malware is dangerous and you would think 'spy' would want to make sure these do not exist. However, opensource code furthers the creativity and extent of demand and supply of projects and programmers (https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Many+Malware+Samples+Found+on+Pastebin/22036/).
DeleteTo respond to your second answer PJ, "The last of information about the project perhaps lead the candidate to another direction and leading many of them to produce useless outcomes.", failures are necessary for successes. Regardless, leading others a stray or on the right path is still more supply and a better position of information than if someone had not crowd sourced and kept it all for themselves. As a matter o fact, crowd sourcing works for code, in terms of raising supply, innately for project demand. Rapid acquisition and broadening participation are some advantages of crowd sourcing (Stol, Klaas-Jan; Fitzgerald, Brian (2014). Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd: A Case Study of Crowdsourcing Software Development. 36th International Conference on Software Engineering. ACM. pp. 187–198. doi:10.1145/2568225.2568249.).
As for responding to your last point on Q3 PJ, "Some company ended up spending so much more time on legal fees by crowdsourcing the task than by outsourcing the task." early adopters will suffer more than others at times. Although, it takes early adopters to bring in innovators and late majority/laggards; which in the end increases programmer supply through project demand. If it's a good idea, others will join in-regardless of how open your code is or not.
PJ, I found a new source of idea from your example of fish application of collective action. Raw food products does cause a unique set of problems that collective action can solve.
I would like to propose you look at "Bla Bla Car" (https://www.blablacar.com/), as this mobile phone application uses collective action to basically fill car seats aka hitch hike. Based on a participants/riders preference in talking (bla[not a word], bla bla, or bla bla bla[lots of talking]), a driver fills their seats based on the preference and location matches of both rider and driver. This collective action tool connects empty seats, drivers looking for company/gas money, and riders looking for a cheaper way to travel. Lowered transaction costs is what this collective action tool Bla Bla Car does, and this is the great example I hope you, PJ, can take as a problem solver-as I did for your fish market example.
As for Alan's reply to your comment PJ, I do believe he is correct in his second paragraph. I agree in the sense that coders will jump onto projects of all standards, regardless of the coders skill, because like as Alan put it, bigger pay out for tougher cases, but also the competition for best code/coder allows coders to improve their own skill and not, as Alan put it, "...run the risk of a coder getting a bad rating" and decrease the coders job opportunities.
DeleteQ3
DeleteA lot of the comments around this question seem to focus on technical aspects but I don't think that's what's important here. If TopCoder was struggling with the IP and credibility issues, their business model would not have made it this far. No client companies would use their software or invest in competitions if they didn't believe the TopCoder review process was sufficient to prevent against security threats and potential risk. I believe that whether or not programmer supply will increase in relation to project demand is more of an economic question. And it all comes down to money:
If there's higher demand for projects, there is simply more money to be spent on supply. Either the current supply of TopCoder programmers could remain the same and they would be paid more per project due to the increased demand of their work, or the supply of elite TopCoder programmers would increase as more projects and money are now winnable in a space that was previously dominated by a few TopCoder regulars.
Q3: Jake
DeleteJake, I agree with you. Alot of the case looks at it from a technical aspect but does not necessarily look at it for an economic view and how the company will be successful.
Like you said, we know that they were successful enough to make it to this stage as a company without having a "competition" to hire a coder. But Yulun, I do agree with you in the sense of the potential risk. Yes there is potential risk but I think before even that we have to look at it from the markets perspective. Is the company having enough demand for this project to actually supply the programmers.
Q3: Comment on Jake's Response
DeleteIt is interesting to note how many different ways competition can go in the successful completeness of a project. In some cases, it can go terribly wrong since there was not enough information passed from the client to the developer. There are many cases which information between the two don't flow both ways, and this can then lead to a lower demand for the coders that get bad reviews from this miss communication.
On the other hand, competition does drive success, and there can be many instances of competition leading to successful completed projects at a fast pace. I also agree with you Jake in how security and potential risk has not been an issue because TopCoder has been successful so far. I think the question that comes up is that it all depends on the project and how much money is invested and the security threats present. Some projects are too expensive and long to not crowdsource, while some projects are very confidential and can't be.
Q3:
DeleteWhile the security aspect of crowdsourcing company projects can be a factor when using Top Coder, I don't think it would be the primary reason for programmer supply not being able to meet project demand. Any programmer that wants to seriously compete in Top Coder cases would be unwilling to steal company information because of the community rating system and reputation. Having company confidential information stolen would be a huge problem for Top Coder and could lead to companies no longer hosting their projects with them.
I think Jake was correct when he said that this is more of an economic problem. The main reason for Top Coder not being able to scale up and match the growing number of projects comes down to there not being enough skilled coders willing to compete. As Top Coder's popularity grows with companies, the number of projects will increase. While there were over 200,000 community members in Spring of 2009, it's estimated that only 0.5% of the community actually competes regularly. Top Coder needs to find a way to increase the skill level of it's long tail group if it's going to match the rising project demand.
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ReplyDeleteQ2 Response:
ReplyDeleteAs a client of Top Coder, my main area of concern would be the security of my company and its information. Being a crowd sourced project, there is always a possibility of serious confidentiality issues when using Top Coder. In the case, it describes that they do have some measures in place to attempt to alleviate this issue. However, I do not believe that the signing of a confidentiality agreement is a solid deterrent. In order to successfully have someone make an application for a company, coders are going to need sensitive information about company systems and processes. This is information that many hackers dig for, and if someone were to sell that information on the black market, there would really be no way to trace it or prove that it came from a Top Coder project. Not to mention, most cyber security breaches occur due to third party contractors or applications. Normally, this kind of risk is minimized when a project is done in house.
Here is a link describing third party cyber security risk:
https://www.csoonline.com/article/3142738/network-security/why-third-party-cybersecurity-matters.html
The article talks about how Top Coder can save their clients thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but there is a tradeoff. One main problem I would have as a client of Top Coder would be the lack of human interaction throughout the life cycle of the project.
DeleteOften times new systems and software bring change to an organization, and can result in frustrated employees at all levels of the organization. This is because some systems require employees to change the way the handle their business on a day to day basis.
I have interned for two consulting firms, (both boutique and large) and the interactions I had with our client's employees were very similar. You have some employees that welcome change and are willing to relearn some new practice. Then you have other employees who hate change, and do will everything in their power to have requirements changed to fit their personal needs. This leads to numerous in person and virtual meetings until an agreement is met. This is where I see Top Coder falling short. Even though it might look like the best option for the client's bottom line in the short run, (cost wise) it could have detrimental effects in the long run.
Not all projects require human interaction and support, but ones that affect large amounts of people, require training, and have user acceptance tests probably do.
Andrew brings good points here. Face to face interaction is more often than not-necessary-and in TopCoder's case, most definitely a factor that needs improvement. Class talk about agile tells us this. Also, it is rare for a product/service to release that contains the same structure it had before release as it has after release.
DeleteI just finished reading the article you linked to your blog post, great article. I completely agree with you that security should be the main concern. TopCoder produced a white paper that detailed confidentiality policies that every member had to sign upon entering the competition. After hearing your comments about how someone could sell that information through a black market I also believe that signing a confidentiality agreement is not enough to protect their securities. Once the members of the competition understand TopCoder’s model, IP and security concerns become huge problems when it comes to crowd sourcing.
DeleteQ2.
DeleteI completely agree with everything that has been stated in this thread in regards to security. Even though TopCoder provides a confidentiality agreement, it does not do much to ensure that someone against the company couldn't profit off of the private information and sell it. That being said, not only would TopCoder's information be compromised, but the client as well. And while their system of crowdsourcing is working well, it only takes one leak for a major repetitional risk that will potentially dispel potential future clients. This is an issue that should have a heavier weight. Another main area of concern I have is something stated by money and that is just keeping the interest of the coders alive. Since it appears that their primary motivation is simply money prizes, TopCoder mustn't lower the amount of value of the reward because as history has shown, they will lose a notable number of coders. While the idea of motivating through money works in the short run, they will have to continue to up the amount ad make it relative to the size of the project to continue reeling in the same quantity and quality of coders.
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DeleteQ2
DeleteI agree with your idea that the security of the company is the most serious concern when a client is consider Top Coder. In this case, if I were a client, I would like to ask Top Coder to provide more security. For example, Top Coder has a responsibility to ensure its coders reliable and honest and keep the information secure. Moreover, when the clients connect to their coders Through Top Coder's platform, Top Coder keep the conversion secure and prevent the third party from intercepting our conversation.
Q2: I also agree that the company main concern should be based around their security. If they are going to continuously crowd source and allow people to use their most sensitive information to develop new code, then they should definitely focus around security. All it takes is one person to create a backdoor within the code or duplicate it and then sell it to a competitor. Even though they implemented multiple security measures to ensure that nobody steals their code, it could become difficult to keep track of every programmer that has their code. TopCoder has a great business model and it has proven to be successful but they need to continue to ramp up security because it only takes one disgruntled employee to leak the code in the future.
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DeleteQ2: I think this is a great app that involves direct user and consumer interaction. When I think of outsourcing there is both a positive connotation as well as some drawbacks to the method. I believe there is a major confidentiality and security factor that plays into the equation and one that needs to be addressed more appropriately. There is a lot of room for miscommunication in the process. Even though Topcoder addresses the challenges of software development, it doesn’t entirely take away those challenges in and of itself since there are some issues in existent I also believe that there is no standardization amongst the competition that exists so there is a lot of room for biased base decisions. I agree with Alan because Topcoder puts up a wide variety of competitions ranging from development to software design and if the process is not standardized in some way, then the Demand to take part in such competition can decrease significantly. But then again incentivizing users in a differ way can also mitigate this.
DeleteI too believe that TopCoder finds and utilizes a lot of missed talent throughout the world though it is very apparent that there are a lot of vulnerabilities present in its business model. Like mentioned above, it only takes one person to create a vulnerability for a malicious user to manipulate/exploit to ruin an entire project. For a company that is starting from scratch and relying heavily on a free open source code, these vulnerabilities would prove to be detrimental if exploited. As technology continues to advance, security will only grow to be more and more important and I believe that TopCoder has and should continue to exercise their power to enforce it. Finally, it's important to see where a coder's motivation might lie. Is it the fact that there is a possible monetary award for their code or is it the fact that they want to produce a code that is of professional degree? Finding that balance would better allow a company to know where to place their trust, whether that be an open source coding platform or to go private and hire a contracted coder.
DeleteQuestion 2
ReplyDeleteMy main area of concern as a client of TopCoder would be security. If I were to let TopCoder’s community members create software, there would be a possibility that someone might set a backdoor in it in order to compromise my company’s system and conduct malicious activities such as stealing customer information. TopCoder performs peer-reviews to ensure security, but there is no guarantee that the reviews find all potential security problems. In recent years, there have been security breaches at many high-profile companies. They had to pay a large amount of money for lawsuits and customer compensation, and their reputation was badly damaged (Average data breach cost was $3.62 million in 2017 so far according to Ponemon Institute). Considering those potential negative outcomes, it could be risky not to build software internally but let third parties do.
Reference:
2017 Ponemon Cost of Data Breach Study. https://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach/index.html
I agree that security would be a big concern for TopCoder clients. The possibility that someone could create a backdoor to a program could be very consequential for a company. Another issue that could come up with security in TopCoder is the repeat of similar codes. For example a coder could use two very similar codes for separate projects for different clients. A hacker may be able to utilize this to hack two or more separate companies with little additional effort.
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DeleteQ2 Comment: I think that resources should be considered when looking at the possibility of someone gaining unauthorized access through a backdoor. Many of the companies that are choosing this option have done due to the lack of resources to develop internally. While you bring up a good point being the high cost of a data breach it may be worth considering whether or not there are companies out there that would choose to embrace theses proven risks rather than spending initially on an internal system with robust security capabilities.
DeleteQ2 Comment: Security was my initial and biggest concern as well. But it also seems to be a prevalent and important topic to TopCoder, as one of the most recent articles posted to their main website is concerning security. In this article, TopCoder emphasizes its secure use to transfer IP addresses, which enables them to systematically monitor and track the life cycle of customers digital assets. Artificial intelligence and advanced heuristics are used to certify the security, adherence to standards and best practices, as well as authenticity of the code. Single points of failure are removed by atomization of code, such that no one person is physically able to connect independent pieces to do something nefarious. Code reviews, which ultimately decide who gets paid, are anonymous, which ensures more accuracy and efficiency than having a dedicated internal staff perform the reviews. Contracts do not hold very high meaning at TopCoder, as they are only one layer of security. In addition to the still necessary contracts, there are extensive rules and regulations in place when a TopCoder Community member submits to a challenge. Overall, the article enforces the notion that businesses don't need to sacrifice innovation for security, which is enforced at TopCoder through secure software channels, IP screening tools, peer reviews, rules and regulations, contracts, and code scans.
DeleteFurther detail can be found in the article itself at: https://www.topcoder.com/blog/security-crowdsourcing-vs-traditional-software-dev/
From a client’s perspective, I would imagine the client would be concerned about protecting the assets and resources of their company. Usually when the problem is presented to the competitors, the client would also need to provide some information or data about the company in order to develop the software that the client expects to solve the problem. A coder would request this information, but where does the client draw the line when it comes to sharing too much information that could potentially jeopardize the company?
DeleteAfter further research on TopCoder’s confidentiality policies and security initiatives, clients are encouraged to remain anonymous to minimize the risk of exposing sensitive information. In terms of the data, the client also provides test data sets that would be similar to the company’s actual data. To maintain independence and confidentiality, coders are also required to sign a confidentiality agreement that would put the client at ease, in the case that legal disputes were to arise. To ensure security, TopCoder employees are vetting coders that don’t meet peer review assessment benchmarks. This way, TopCoder knows when to weed out competitors that have been reported for unethical intentions by their peers. Clients whose main concern is security can also request for TopCoder employees to run the software presented by competitors in the backend to ensure the software is within the standards of the client’s expectations.
Question 4
ReplyDeleteThe collective action app I would like to share is Bandlab. If you are a musician, whether you are a vocalist, guitarist, or pianist, it is not uncommon to have a problem like this: You want to create a song, so you wrote a song and recorded your guitar (let’s say you are a guitarist). You still need to have other parts recorded such as vocal, bass, drums, etc., but do not know anybody who sings or plays those instruments. Then Bandlab is the solution.
How the app works is that you record guitar on the built-in cloud-based digital audio workstation (DAW) on this app and share your work online. Then you can search for musicians all over the world to work with. Once you find musicians you want to collaborate with, you can invite them and give them access to your track. Since your track is saved on the online DAW, they can add their parts on your work from anywhere in the world while being able chat with them through a Messenger-like platform. The final product is your original song with all the necessary musical instrumentation.
I play the bass and have written and recorded songs with my friends before, which I enjoyed a lot. I think it would be even more enjoyable to compose and play songs with people all over the world via Bandlab.
Link: https://www.bandlab.com/
I was talking to one of my mentors about how digital transformation and innovation is disrupting industries around the world, and he told me that industries who have not changed their business models in over 40 years are likely to be disrupted. We can see the obvious examples of AirB&B (disrupting the hotel industry) and Uber/Lyft (disrupting the taxi cab industry) in what is called the sharing economy, or sharing goods and services peer-to-peer. These companies are providing a lot of jobs, and are changing the way business has been run for years.
DeleteThis past summer I interned in Los Angeles. I made it a goal of mine to try surfing for the first time, and ride a bike from Santa Monica all the way to Redondo Beach. I did not bring a bike or a surfboard, so I decided to rent them using an app called Spinlister.
Spinlister provides a fun alternative to renting outdoor equipment (bikes, surf equipment, skis, and snowboards). People post their equipment for rent, and the renter selects the date range they would like to rent the equipment. It is very similar to the AirB&B model. I found it much cheaper renting a surfboard through this app compared to the rental shops in South Bay. One can use this app right here in Tucson if they ever have a desire to go mountain biking.
Pros to sharing economy apps:
-They are often cheaper than other alternatives
-They build relationships
-They are far more interactive
-Untapped revenue for people providing the products and services
Cons:
-Many of these companies are selling you data
-Lots of people argue that these companies are taking too much of percentage on transactions
-Damages to personal belongings
While I have never utilized this app, I do believe that these kinds of apps are going to become extremely popular in the future. The main reason for this is the price point. It is much cheaper to rent things from other people rather as opposed to companies, and as our economy being to shift towards a sharing economy, I believe that many of the stigmas that are associated with sharing applications will dissipate. These sharing companies know their weaknesses, and are constantly working to improve upon them. I also believe that whenever the next recession occurs, sharing will boom. People will be looking for both the cheapest possible options and ways to make extra money. I think that there will be apps much like Splinster thriving in that environment.
DeleteThe article below outlines how the 2008 recession played a role in the beginning of the first sharing apps
link: http://www.businessinsider.com/sharing-economy-companies-like-uber-and-airbnb-arent-really-sharing-anything-2015-10
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DeleteQ4 Comment: I have also never utilized this app although it sounds very interesting. I am curious as to how you would decide wether or not someone would collaborate well with you for the matching portion. This is because many of my friends who produce music have distinctive sounds that would be challenging to match with other musicians. Similar to what Andrew said about data, I'm curious as to how the licensing of these songs would work as well as what kind of rights the platforms developers grant themselves on the music made using their platform.
DeleteThanks for posting this! I am a musician myself and did not know about this app until now, going to give it a try. I have a similar question to Ryan’s. How exactly would it work if you happened to find a music partner through the app? Would their legal issues regarding who had the rights to the music or would both parties have rights to the music? That is the only con I see with an app like this. Otherwise I love the app and think it is a great idea!
DeleteWhat an interesting app! It sounds like a good idea to get your music out into the world. I really like the fact that other musicians can listen to your part and then determine if their style of music will fit in with yours. The only concern I might have about this app is the quality of sound. For example, if you are playing drums, you are hitting multiple symbols at once and a lot of noise is being projected. Does the app have the capability to pick up all the sounds and make it sound good through the cloud based digital audio workstation? Overall, I think the app is a great idea as long as the sound quality is good.
DeleteI really like the pros and cons of crowd sourcing apps that Andrew discussed! One of the main advantages is the untapped revenue for those who have the opportunity to make some extra money. This is true for some obvious business models like Airbnb, Uber, and Lyft, where the users of the apps, whether drivers or customers, are making/saving money respectively because supply meets demand at a lower overall cost. This is really the true meaning of disruption because the agreed price on both sides - users and customers is much lower than what bigger, established companies in that industry ask for. I recently went to the USC-UA game in LA and the parking situation was horrible. It was ranging from $80-$200 around campus through the university in downtown LA. However, there were nearby residents that offered their parking lots for $25 which were in higher demand than the official campus parking lots. Of course, there are pros and cons to both, but there are options to those who are willing to compromise.
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ReplyDeleteQ4.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is not specifically an app, I believe HackerOne is one of the most interesting crowdsourcing platforms to date. HackerOne is a platform or service that provides companies with top-level hackers. Here is the catch these hackers are not black hats, but white hats. What that means is they are friendly hackers. HackerOne allows companies to test their cybersecurity from actual attacks from outside crowdsourced hackers. I am extremely familiar with this company, because the software development company I interned for this summer was contracting them during my internship. I was tasked with sitting in on the initial meetings and reading the start-up guide. How this works is HackerOne will have an initial videoconference meeting with your company to discuss scope and other things. This includes items such as how many hackers you want looking at what specific items, level of severity of distinct types of bugs and the payouts for each one, and when you want hackers to be looking for bugs. HackerOne will then look at the hackers on its platform and invite certain ones to view a company’s items. For larger companies such as Twitter, Github, and U.S. Government (Actual Clients) their entire sites can be made public to the entire HackerOne community at once. Hackers will then report the bugs through detailed reports. Companies will then view these reports and decide severity and payout. Hackers will then be paid their bounty and earn rep based on severity of the bug, payout, and number of hacks. All this is monitored by HackerOne staff to make sure it is all fair and safe. Additionally, there are extensive privacy agreements to be signed by parties. The company will only take liability for what is offered up to the hackers, and if privacy agreements are breached it is easy to identify and take legal action against said hacker. HackerOne is trying to solve cybersecurity problems through crowdsourced hackers. This platform has been extremely successful because it provides benefits to both the hackers and the companies. Hackers do not feel the need to breach agreements, because they are paid accordingly, they work the hours they want, and take no legal risk. Companies reap the benefits of having real skilled hackers attempting to find bugs in their software. Below is the link to their site. I encourage everyone to give it a look it is an awesome cybersecurity solution you may want to consider in later work in the field.
https://www.hackerone.com/
Q3
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the project demand will not create a supply of software developers. There are a few key questions to ask when looking at this competition based crowdsourcing platform. 1. How much money needs to be paid out to motivate a programmer, and how much can we actual pay out before it cuts into company net profit? 2. Will programmers be willing to work on something they may not get paid for in the end, when they can get a high salary based software developer job with added benefits with no need to compete? 3. How many programmers are deadweight? And 4. How can you prevent programmers for being paid for other’s work? Let’s address each of these questions in more detail. To bring in top developers you need to offer price appropriate prizes. For a quality developer to pass up a six-figure salary the prizes must be substantial, but once prizes get too high the company can no longer operate. If you read in the case as time went on prizes lowered, but this had to happen to allow growth. In this competition based model 80% of the prizes went to the top 5% of coders. If you aren’t in this 5% it is much more beneficial for you to work a full-time software developer job. You may argue well these people work on their own schedule and when they want, but if you look at most software companies company culture they are all very relaxed. Often companies offer to let you work remote and work your own hours if you develop the software required of you. Looking at the fact above 80% of prizes were going to only 5% of the community. That means nearly 95% of the community was basically deadweight. The deadweight developers are likely to quit or not participate. Lastly looking at one of the basic principles of coding, software is meant to be re-used. What this means for intelligent developers is they could find other community member’s code piece together and add a few things and earn a prize they barely did any work on. Looking at all this information it is clear to see demand will not increase supply in the case. I disagree with this core business assumption. I also believe company’s outsourcing code would prefer more specific hands on developers. As software development is often agile meaning is requirements are constantly changing communication is key. By not having a personalized team in communication with the company software could lose overall quality and fail to meet requirements. Looking at all these factors if I were a software developer, I would be turned away from this platform and look to seek more consistent employment.
Jhett,
DeleteI felt that you made some excellent points throughout your discussion post in regards to the idea that project demand will not solely be able to create enough supply of software developers to sustain this business model. You backed up this notion with several key facts that supported your claim. One of the points you made in regards to the amount of money a programmer will receive and whether or not they will be paid at all is an interesting question that reflects a flaw in the Topcoder business model. As you mentioned later in your post, “In this competition based model 80% of the prizes went to the top 5% of coders. If you aren’t in this 5% it is much more beneficial for you to work a full-time software developer job”. This is very interesting because it is suggesting that due to the high rate of competition in this industry there may be better alternatives for those that are not in the top 5%. This cornerstone of the business model may cause potential programmers that would complete tasks well to be deterred from entering the industry due to the stability they can find elsewhere. Additionally the term “deadweight” that is used in the article and your response becomes extremely relevant because of the small 5% of developers who could benefit from such a platform. Your arguments surrounding the statement that demand will not increase supply did an excellent job of making me reassess their business model because it has the strong ability to push away top talent. As software development is agile and constantly changing it would be difficult to have a team without multiple unique ideas that could be combined. As a soon to be college graduate, I would have to agree that this type of platform would make me more interested in securing consistent employment elsewhere if I was a average to above average developer.
Great Job,
Jeremy
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ReplyDeleteQuestion 3
ReplyDeleteThe CEO strongly believes that project demand will automatically create programmer supply, and that the growing community will allow users to have access to high level developers and designers. There are many potential upsides to such a business model because of the act that it utilizes the crowdsourcing technique. One of the biggest advantages that Topcoder provides to its customers is the unique tailoring for their product or service. They are able to determines the individuals team and using their crowdsourcing community, develop a team that can contribute ideas that may never have been presented. TopCoder founder Jack Hughes stated “One of the earliest decisions we made at the founding of TopCoder was that, before we would build anything else, we would build a community and refer to the people using our platform”
This crowdsourcing community allows you to have access to a number of individuals with highly specialized skill sets that can contribute to each stage of the life cycle. However, there can be several drawbacks to such a business model as mentioned by my peers previously. One of the main concerns I have read has to do with security and maintaining integrity of a project with a large community at their disposal. Additionally, there is no guarantee that the finished product will be exactly what you had in mind, but there is a much larger opportunity for skilled individuals to improve your ideas.
Question 4
One information sharing application that I regularly use is GolfNow, which collects information from both local users as well as surrounding golf courses to pair players with openings throughout the day. This app is in constant communication with golf courses and is able to offer discounted rates during non-peak hours or cancellation periods so they are able to make up for lost business. This is a great example of an information sharing app that is mutually beneficial because of the fact that it allows customers to quickly make a reservation while saving money on green fees, and allows businesses to promote their course with discounts as well as incentives such as free access to golf carts to increase business. It is working to resolve the issue of high cost for playing recreational golf as well as lost business during hours they would otherwise not have players on the course. It is looking to narrow the gap between players and courses to increase business while driving down prices. GolfNow's Plus is a consultative service that offers proprietary technology to improve golf course marketing and pricing strategies, Ride is a complimentary purchasing program that can save golf courses up to 35 percent on items and equipment needed to operate their businesses and Answers offers courses 24/7 telephone support from golf-savvy experts.
Regarding Question 3 I agree crowd sourcing can be an extremely powerful business model. The key to its success is the way its implemented. In order to have a supply of people they must be properly motivated which can be tricky. Additionally, when utilizing work from outside sources there will always be security and integrity concerns. This will always be the case. The success of crowd sourcing is extremely variable it really comes down to implementation and execution. It is crucial businesses complete understand the people they are utilizing and the businesses they are working with, and plan accordingly.
Delete2) My main concern as a client of TopCoder would be how strong the coder’s work ethic is. A coder could be employed at another company or working on other projects, which could take away from the client’s original project. This would bring into question if full time employees or TopCoder competitions would be more valuable to the success of the company. A company would have more visibility as to exactly how hard and how much their own employees are working on a given coding project. With TopCoder’s business model it is harder for a client to tell exactly how much effort the coders are putting into their project. This would also bring up the issue of how much money to set the prize to. To help solve these problems TopCoder has internal regulators and appeal processes to manage the competitions and help with program satisfaction rates.
ReplyDelete4) An example of a collective action and information sharing application is google drive. With Google Drive, multiple people can work on the same project at the same time. Historic versions of the document are archived so that they can be reloaded if major errors or deletions are made during the collaboration. Google Drive can be accessed on computers or mobile devices allowing for collaboration in any location with internet connection. I have found Google Drive to be very useful when working on team projects. This allows a team to complete a project together without being in the same physical location. Another area I have seen this tool used successfully is when taking class notes. Groups of people can take notes together during class and fill in portions that one person may have missed or inaccurately stated.
Below is a YouTube video describing how Google Drive works in a collaborative manner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTcDsbvbjk
Q4 Reply:
DeleteSteffan, this was interesting that you brought Google Drive as an example for this conversation because this is not something that we always talk about for "Collaboration" when it comes to things that we use everyday. With that being said, Google has made their Drive system into one that can be used everyday for multiple purposes.
The cloud service allows Google to stay competitive with their competitors for an area, Cloud Storage, that is not necessarily the most popular industry. Dropbox has been big success in the Cloud Storage industry but doesn't necessarily advertise it as a "everyday collaborative" such as Google Drive's.
Q2 reply:
DeleteI agree with your point that the ethic of the employee is the concern that the client should think about. Because this relates to the security of the company information, you can’t make sure that these coders will not sell your company’s information to other competitors or if they will do malicious activities to destroy your system or not. It contains many uncertain factors. TopCoder they have their community-based peer-review system to make sure security the quality, but you can’t say their reviews can find out all potential threats inside their company. I didn’t think about that the business model will bring troubles to their customers, and thanks for reminding me that.
Q2 Reply:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the case, I agree with a main concern of using TopCoder would be the genuine interest of those you are putting trust in to complete your project's. A question I would ask is whether the coder you are using is putting in effort only worried about the prize money they will potentially when, or if they have the best interest to produce the best product for your given requirements. This is also a concern because there does not seem to be any personal interaction between the competitor and those posting the "contests". Although it as an assumption, strictly competing and winning cash prizes from TopCoder does not seem like a reasonable or stable career, so most of these coders most likely do have other projects or jobs they attend to, which would take away focus from working on your project. Yes, it would be comforting knowing this application does yield a 92% success rate, however if I was a project manager, I would be much more comfortable being able to monitor those who are working on my projects through its cycle, and having the ability to make adjustments to if need be. Like you said however TopCoder does have regulators and appeal processes that can be utilized if a problem does arise or a requirement is not met for a project, so this is the tradeoff for using TopCoder and the "risk" for saving money on getting these projects as they advertise.
Q2 Reply: For the McGuire program this is the only possible avenue when your team is not as technical as it needs to be. I'm currently working with 3 non-mis majors and this is probably one of the easiest avenues to get our technology created. I agree that trust is the biggest issue because you have no idea of the quality of the project created. Hiring a temporary agency to find top talent to create an app or service is expensive or costly for startups. By going through TopCoder, startups can have a tangible product to show off to investors and describe the technology behind it. This is vital for the success for a new company.
DeleteQuestion 2 reply:
DeleteAfter reading your post I completely agree with your reasoning. Top Coder really doesn't know what the motives are for these coders and if they are really doing the project for the best interest of the company or if they are just completing the project it for the prize money. This could raise major issues for Top Coder in the long run. I also concur that if I was a project manager for Top Coder I would like to monitor what my coders are doing on a project and make adjustments if need be. This type of outsourcing can be very risky for a company and can damage their success in the future
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DeleteTo add on, is there anything that you would implement as a project manager to help reduce the risk of outsourcing these projects to help the overall success of the company?
DeleteAs a client of TopCoder what would your main areas of concern be with this type of outsourcing? Has TopCoder done enough to overcome them?
ReplyDeleteI believe my biggest problem as a client of top coder would be the anonymity of the author of the solution. A problem I believe is not considered is how far separated the company is from the solution. When they present the problem they do get a solution, but it is designed by top coder, outsourced to a community of programmers. If the company has an IT department and cant figure out the solution. It will be quite hard for them to maintain a system they don't fundamentally understand. On the other hand if they don't have an IT department at all/are a small company then it needs to be very simple for them to maintain. Top Coder has addressed this by trying to not make the solution to difficult to understand/implement. But user error knows no bounds.
4. Survey Monkey has 25 million users and lets you create any survey and share it to social media, email, and even text. It helps people post surveys, collect information, and inform. It helps people answer questions they have, and provide feedback
https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/surveymonkey-app/
Q3
ReplyDeleteThe CEO believes that project demand will automatically create programmer supply. I believe that statement is false because of two reasons. The biggest reason is the cash prize. The community competes because of the cash prize. If the project isn’t worth the prize, there’s no reason to waste time on it. In the article it said that in 2008, TopCoder reduced the contest prize amounts and because of that, many competitors left the community. Also, because of the unknown economic environment, cash prizes can become smaller and that will lead to less competitors. It isn’t project demand that creates programmer supply but rather it is the prizes that lead to more programmer competition and supply. A competitor will only compete if he believes the prize is worth it.
The second reason why I believe this correlation is false is because of the “elite programmers” of the community. The elite programmers make up 0.5% of the community and they are the best. They regularly win competitions. The problem with that is in the article, it states that the 5% of prize earners received around 80% of the entire prize pool since the launch of TopCoder. That means a lot of people do not win or receive any money. It’s great that TopCoder has a peer review system but I believe that someone can only try and fail so many times, before he quits and does something else. Because the quantity of winners is so limited, eventually many competitors will give up. Even though the demand for projects might increase, in the long run, there will be less competition because everybody can assume who the winner is and that will lead to a decrease in programmer supply.
Q4
A collective action app that I know my parents use is Vayable. Vayable is an app for tourists looking for a tour guide in whichever city the tourist is visiting. These tour guides will show the tourists around the city. Unlike an official tour guide who will only bring tourists to see the popular destinations, these tour guides can show the tourists a specific part of the city, its culture, and different experiences. To make sure a tour guide is reliable, tourists can look at their reviews. Also, a tour guide will describe what kind of tour plans the tourist would like to go on. An example would be like a city tour guide which they will show the tourists around the city. Another tour plan could be a nightlife experience which brings the tourists to different restaurants, bars, events, and clubs. Tourists can look at a tour guides general reviews and specific tour plan reviews to determine if the tour guide is reliable and fun. This app is very useful because not only does it give the tourists a wonderful experience, but it is also a great way to make connections around the world. In the article, it states that human interaction is very important for trust. This app requires human interaction and it would be very cool to have connections/ friends across the entire world.
https://www.vayable.com/
Q3: It was interesting seeing your point of view in that the cash prizes is the driving factor for these top coders. Although I do agree that the amount of project demand does not necessarily increase programmer supply, I think that it can motivate coders through other aspects rather than cash prizes. According to the article, many community members believed that their TopCoder rating was important because it showcased their ability. Having a high rating meant that the member had the ability to learn independently, adapt to technological advancements, pay attention to details, and have a strong work ethic. This is important for people who want better educate themselves as well as those who could use the rating to help them land a good job. Others do it for the "symbol of status and prestige."
DeleteQ3 Reply to Jerry and Tiffany
DeleteYour points raise what I see as a bigger question for Top Coder. Are they a platform to pay engineers to collaborate on projects or are they an educational platform to give coders real life experience? If it's about the money than I dont see Top Coder surviving in the long term because as Jerry said only the top 5% will ever get the money, but if the users treat it as an education too where it id about learning coding skills to drive supply and its solves real problems for real business' to drive demand then I don't see its usage ever declining.
Q3
DeleteI completely agree with Jerry’s arguments and I think that the CEO’s statements might be a bit far-fetched. I agree that an increase in the number of projects will drive more programmers to compete, but that might not be necessarily true in the long run. Because most coders will ultimately compete for monetary incentives and since only the top coders receive money, it fails to trickle down to the majority of the competitors. Even TopCoder realizes that majority of the coders in the community don’t compete irrespective of the number of projects. It does not make business sense to increase the supply of coders when most existing members have little interest to compete because of poor incentives. I think there need to be more innovative incentives to have more coders compete and drive up the competition, which will ultimately result in better outputs for the clients.
Q3:
DeleteIn response to Jerry Chang and Angad Randhawa:
I tend to agree with the CEO's notion that large project demand will increase supply, and this is why. Most commerce driven markets, whether they involve goods or services, are fundamentally driven by both supply and demand. Keynesian economics is a very large and popular school of thought that believes the economy is strongly driven by demand. In most cases, when there is demand for a product, suppliers will rush to offer it, because money is guaranteed.
In the case of TopCoder, project demand can easily translate into supply. If there are many projects that are looking for coders, there will be a large sum of cash prizes available for potential coders. If the average coder knows about Topcoder, then they will likely want to take advantage of being paid for their skills. Furthermore, if there is a very high demand in Topcoder for coding experts, then coders will rush to fill these roles for financial compensation.
As long as Topcoder can offer money rewards that equal the large amount of projects (demand), provide a simple system for coders (supply) to be paid, and advertise so that coders are aware of the demand, basic economic principals would suggest that the CEO's opinion is correct. In that case, demand should create ample supply.
Q4:
ReplyDeleteThe collective application I want to share is Tapingo. Tapingo has become a very popular application amongst university students over the past few years, as it is practically creates a delivery service for any restaurant or store around the area. Tapingo is a mobile ordering system that allows user to search for not only restaurants that offer pickup and delivery, but they have recently added convenient stores and markets. Orders are completely completely customizable and payments for your food are made through the app. Once you place an order, you can decide for your order to be made for pickup, or someone will pick it up and deliver it for you. This service allows customers to avoid lines for pickups, and choose restaurants for delivery that do not usually offer that service. Tapingo also includes an integrated reward system for loyal customers, which offers discounts on food and sometimes free delivery. There are currently several other similar food service apps on the market, however Tapingo attempts to differentiate themselves from others by focusing on customer preferences and offering contextual recommendations. Tapingo is in very competitive market and there main problem will be expanding outside of just college campuses. It will be interesting to see how Tapingo will be able to continue compete and differentiate themselves is this market, with so many applications coming up with the "Uber-like" platform.
https://venturebeat.com/2014/02/05/hungry-tapingo-aims-to-make-ordering-food-a-wallet-and-wait-free-process/
Q4:
ReplyDeleteThe information app I want to share is a Chinese app called Live Well(Haohaozhu), it’s the app that some of my friends recommend to me, and I like this app very much. This app is a place that people can share pictures, problems, concerns and ideas about their house remodeling.
Everyone feels exhausted when he/she needs to remodel the house, it contains many questions you need to think about, like what kind of style you want, what type of furniture you think is suitable for the style, or you prefer a closed kitchen or an open kitchen in your house, etc. Some people prefer to find professional designers to design the house for them, but they don’t know where to find good designers. The users of Live Well can upload the pictures of part of their house, like kitchen, bathroom and living rooms to share some ideas with other users. There is also a part that people can recommend great designers, and people can see the product of the designer and then choose the one you like to contact them. You can also find some of the pictures you like, and you can just copy the design for your house. People can also talk about topics that related with remodeling with other people.
Question 3:
ReplyDeleteAs a client of Top Coder I would have a couple main concerns with this type of outsourcing. One of them would be the motive of the person completing the project. Top Coder gives out cash prizes for the winner of the contest for the best completion of the product description and this would concern me if was a client. By doing this Jack Hughes and Top Coder cant tell if the person completing the project is just looking out for him or herself and just wanting to win the money or if they are really looking out for the best interest of the company. I believe that the coders that work on these projects for Top Coder also most likely have other jobs and just do these competitions for fun and if that is the case there can most likely be someone else that could code the project to its fullest potential rather than it just being a hobby for someone. If I was an executive at Top Coder I would want to be able to over see the projects and make sure everything on the checklist was getting done, and if need be improve things that need to be improved. Another main concern for me would be the security of Top Coder information. By outsourcing these projects, someone who is working on the project could steal the idea and also take any information about the company that is provided. I know that a confidentiality agreement is in place but I still don’t think this is enough to secure the idea and all the company information provided. Outsourcing these projects makes Top Coder very venerable to a cyber security attack.
Question 4:
A collective action application that I know of and use is Postmates. Postmates is a fairly new web and mobile application that started up in 2011 and is a on-demand delivery application. How the application works is that you put in the address of where you are or live and it will return a list of restaurants in the area and you can choose what type of food or restaurant you want to eat and you can choose whether you want it delivered or to pick it up. This is a great application because if you decide to pick up your food you can avoid waiting in long lines to save time when you are on a 30-45 minute lunch break. Or if you are just sitting at home and don’t want to leave your couch you can order from any restaurant that Postmates is partnered with and they will deliver it to the address you provided. Postmates often also gives out money to use towards delivery fee’s and also gives recommended restaurant favorites. The main issue with Postmates is that it is only in 44 major cities. They are a fairly new and growing company, but I used Postmates almost everyday this summer while living in Phoenix and it became the most common way for me to get food, and when I came back to Tucson the service was completely unavailable. This is big issue because majors competitor such as GrubHub and Uber eats are available and customers who don’t have Postmates available will more than likely use their competitors. To fix a problem like this the company will need to expand and that will come with time. Here is a interesting article I read about Postmates if anyone is interested.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2017/03/09/with-1-billion-sales-run-rate-postmates-will-aim-for-profits-next/#6e7b649c8f5b
Question 3: As a client of TopCoder, I have reason to doubt that as project demand increases, the programmer supply will also increase. One of biggest concern is that when there is more projects, there will be more contests, which leads to more prize money which will increase costs for TopCoder. TopCoder may then lower the prize money to keep up with all the contests which in turn may lead to fewer incentives for programmers to participate. As a client, I may worry that as soon as the money decreases, programmers will look elsewhere for more money. Another area of concern is the security of y company. TopCoder is all about crowd sourcing. If more programmers were to join, more people will know about the client's info and project. Many of these programmers are doing this for the money, but what happens if a rival company pays more for the info. You can not guarantee every programmer will be loyal. There will be even more people now to leak/steal the client's info. There's also the concern with more errors because as there are more projects, TopCoder may need to allocate resources accordingly. They cannot spend too much time checking one project while they have multiple more projects to check. TopCoder also probably don't want to pay more people to check the projects because this will increase costs too
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4: A collective action application I know is Waze Navigation. This app is a navigation app. This app will tell drivers live traffic. However, what separates this app for all the other navigation app is that there are live users updating other users about traffic. This doesn't have to be limited to traffic either. As you are driving, you can note down there is a police at this corner so slow down. Other users using the app will be able to see your comment. You can also locate other users and ask them about traffic. If they find your comment useful they can rate it and it'll boost your trustworthiness rating.
https://www.waze.com/
You bring up a very interesting point that not many spoke about on here. The big question would then be.. what happens if the project demand increased faster than the programmer supply could keep up with? I do believe TopCoder would react by lowering incentives and allocating programmers differently, however this could prove to be the biggest pitfall next to cybersecurity. I think you are absolutely right in assuming that the programmers would have more incentive to join another organization if this happened as there are plenty of other incentives for programmers today.
DeleteI also use Waze as my primary form of navigation and probably the best on the market right now. It really adds a fun 'game-like' atmosphere along with exceptional structure and real-time data. One of my biggest concerns with this app is the fact that many users will be distracted by a "upcoming hazard" before they even reach the hazard on the road and potentially hurt themselves or others.
Q4
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/
Although it's easily overlooked as being one of many other things, I think YouTube is one of the most influential and famous information sharing apps without people even knowing it. We all know what YouTube is and how it works but the types of problems it solves may not be as obvious. It has given billions of people the ability to share things with the world that were previously impossible. An aspiring Musical artist now has a platform to share their works with billions of people. People previously without the means to attend school can now watch informational videos on any educational subject they choose. A blogger shares their ideas with anyone who is willing to listen. Any problem a person wants to solve, or any topic they want to learn more about or be entertained by, you can almost guarantee it's out there, because someone was willing to share it with you.
Q4: I think one of the most unique info-sharing applications is the app called Waze. It uses the users location to judge the speed of the driver, and user reports (traffic, cops, construction, etc.) to best determine the best route.
ReplyDeleteThis solves the issue of over congestion on freeways and drivers to use more service streets to cut down their commute from work. Living out in Los Angeles this summer and driving everyday it was the biggest resource for me. Without using the app and just using apple maps, my commute could be an hour to an hour and a half. By using Waze it help determine the best route even with LA traffic. It cut my commute sometimes in half, but was always determine the quicker route than using another maps service.
If you haven't ever downloaded the app give it a try, I recommend it for any long distance trip. Not optimal for Tucson due to the amount of freeways the city has, but a great resource for any city in America.
ReplyDeleteAn app that's obviously known to everyone within the tech industry that has some what translated into an information sharing app would be Snapchat. Prior to, SnapChat was used more on a peer to peer connection as a communication tool that was through pictures that only lasted for x seconds.
Snapchats business has now changed where many companies use it as an advertisement way for info-sharing. For an example, when a new movie comes out or show, they can use Snapchat to advertise this as a "Geo-Filter" and provide information about the movies that Snapchat users can use and send out to their friends.
Another recent tool that Snapchat has incorporated would be the GeoMap. It allows users to view where all of their snapchat friends are around the world just by their location.
HitRecord is an "Open Collaborative Production Company" created by Joseph Gordon Levitt and his Brother. How it works is that the HitRecord Team have a topic or a theme and its 100,000+ community of artist collaborate with one another to produce books, movies, songs, and art about the Theme. Hit Record has been Widely successful and its pieces have been featured at SXSW and sundance and its TV show has even won an emmy.
ReplyDeleteHitRecord doesn't solve a problem but creates an opportunity for people around the world to collaborate and create art with one another. This collaboration establishes a world community of artist and makes the world feel a little smaller.
https://www.hitrecord.org/
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ReplyDeleteQ4: Figure 1 is an information sharing app that allows doctors and professionals to share data and collaborate with colleagues. Medical professionals can share pictures and information with each other to help better diagnose patients' rare conditions. In addition, they can share medical researching findings they have conducted with other doctors throughout the world. It is currently changing the world because now, doctors can work together via technology to figure out rare medical conditions and cases and save lives of those patients.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/02/10/tech/figure1-photos-medical-app/index.html
Gopuff is one of the largest information sharing apps. I recently downloaded the app and have used it almost every day. Gopuff allows customers to order basic household needs, snacks, and even alcohol and the touch of the button and then have that delivered to their phone. Gopuff works with thousands of stores that track inventory and pricing so customers can order whatever they need. Gopuff is trying to get rid of the convenience store, by making it more convenient for customers to have things delivered to them. Funny how that is said.
ReplyDeletehttps://gopuff.com/
Q4. A collaboration app that is widely known amongst many in the Computer Science majors is Piazza. This app is essentially an information sharing platform where students are able to post questions, and their peers or instructors can then provide answers or suggestions. When one answer doesn't suffice, other people can add on to form a complete and cohesive answer to the problem. It aims to offer students the resource of having numerous inputs and suggestions on one platform. Additionally, the topics posted usually pertains specifically to their assignment so it's constantly relevant. My friend's class uses Piazza and claimed that sometimes her professor will offer extra credit points to those fairly active with responses. It provides a collaborative and supportive environment both in and out of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteHere are 2 links for more information:
https://piazza.com/product/mobile
https://techcrunch.com/2011/11/08/sequoia-backed-piazza-takes-qa-platform-for-students-mobile-with-ios-and-android-apps/
Q4.
ReplyDeleteWAG is a very innovative app and works in a collaborative manner as it offers dog walking and sitting services. Any member who signs up on the application can find and book a certified dog walker, you can request the services of a dog walker either on demand or scheduled basis. The app allows you to track your dog via live GPS tracking. The app has many interesting features and services, such as booking an overnight stay for your dog or getting activity reports after walks, you can also receive photo updates. The app works like Uber but for dog sitters and it also acts as a platform for dog sitters to make money and find jobs in their vicinity. The WAG community is based on trust and you can also review your dog sitter after the completion of their job. Overall it makes it easier to own a dog and have a busy schedule.
https://wagwalking.com/
Q4:
ReplyDeleteThere is a relatively new app called Spotter that solves a very common problem using a collaborative community. The app is like Airbnb only for parking spaces.
Airbnb is a very well known service that allows homeowners to easily rent out their homes like a hotel or bed and breakfast. Spotter is the same service only for parking spaces. Users of spotter who need to park for work, a special occasion, sporting event et cetera, can search their area for open parking spaces. They then can park in a space that is offered by another user in exchange for money. This app takes a very simple idea and solves a frustrating problem using collaborative networks.
Long story short: A person who needs a parking space uses the Spotter app on their phone. They see a map with available spaces near them offered by every day people (at a house, business). They pay the owner of the spot for the ability to park there for the day.
Reference: https://www.parkwithspotter.com/
Question 3: Sorry for this post being so late, too busy studying for the test! I think one of the main reasons this statement is doubted would be the fact that more plays into a top coder event than programmers simply going and accomplishing the work. Sure when you have dedicated employees who work for a company and demand in projects will have the supply to fulfill the demand, but when it is the case of a top coder event there is no telling if the supply will be there your specific project. Programming is still a unique skill so lets say for example a project is very uninteresting and doesn't pay as well as another companies more interesting project. A programmer who has a unique skill will be there for their own reason, whether they be money, or employment, or even just there for fun to see some interesting new things. This is why the statement "Project demand will automatically create programmer supply" is not necessarily true and can be doubted.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4: As far as information sharing goes, most of the good apps and companies have been discussed. One of the few that I can think of off the top of my head would be Craigslist. There are craigslist apps and the website and it is a tool used to share various types of information from consumer to consumer, business to consumer, or even consumer to business. I believe the main point of craigslist was to be able to advertise almost any thing a person or company could want. Craigslist even has a section dedicated to MISSED CONNECTIONS!! If anybody has not ever given this section a half hour of your time and read some of the posts in here I would highly recommend it as some are simple quality humor. Craigslist also contains many more sections to the website to sell/buy items or services, jobs/employment, and even the less known discussion forums about anything under the sun. A comparable product to Craigslist would be Backpage. This is a website very similar to craigslist, but in the backpages there are no restrictions to what one can post. The backpage is an interesting concept as with no restrictions things can get weird. You can find anything on backpage from escorts and guns to stuffed animals for kids.
Q4:
ReplyDeleteMy favorite collaborative app is called Waze. Waze is a GPS and map application that is similar to google maps but with more features. By sharing information between everyone who has the application activated, Waze can tell where areas of congestion and bad traffic are. Users can also point out hazards on the road by adding them to the map. This is a really useful feature because once hazards are added, anyone else using Waze will see them and has the ability to confirm they exist.
https://www.waze.com/livemap
Q4
ReplyDeleteThe information sharing app I would like to share is Quora. Quora’s mission is to share and grow the world’s knowledge. The operating model of Quora is very simple. You can ask any question you want to ask in the app and tag your question, and then when other users who maybe be interested in the same area will see the questions and answer or comment your question. Other users can give a like or dislike to the answers. The platform is fully free. It is a good way to learn some knowledge easily. Not only app, Quora also has website version. Here is a link to the website introduction page.
https://www.quora.com/about
Q3) I agree with the core assumption of the business model. I think that project demand will automatically create programmer supply because of TopCoder’s credibility and greater chances at winning. If TopCoder told programmers about trustworthy, recognized businesses with projects that needed help, this would provide programmers with a motive to work for TopCoder, so they could have an opportunity to get their code selected. In addition, as more businesses ask for project help, the more opportunities there will be for a programmer to have his or her code picked.
ReplyDeleteQ4) A great example of an information sharing app is Glassdoor. Glassdoor is a website where employees and former employees anonymously review companies and their management. This website helps employees, job seekers, employers, and recruiters in finding and sharing information about the companies and jobs, including company reviews, interview questions and reviews, office photos, salary details, and information to make career decisions. As Glassdoor spokesman Scott Dobroski put it, "It's peeling back all of the layers on a lot of things in the workplace that used to be taboo, and it's all according to the employees."
Q4) As generic as it is, I believe the greatest information sharing platform is currently Reddit. It is called 'the front page for the internet' for a reason and you will never have something to NOT look at. This site is a collection of entries submitted by its registered users, essentially a bulletin board system and covers an exceptionally wide range of topics. Reddit was founded by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian in 2005. As of 2017 Reddit has 542 million monthly visitors, 73.15 million submissions and over 11,500 active subreddits with a valuation of $1.8 billion.
ReplyDeleteI used to look through Facebook or twitter for current events, research, or social interactions, but one thing Reddit brings to the table that these other Social Media platforms don’t is their close-knit community of moderators and bots. If something is posted, there are generally rules for every single ‘community’. Every controversial post must have a ‘reputable’ link showing where this claim was made. This is helpful since the Era of ‘Fake News’ is upon us and it is hard to believe anything you see online.
https://reddit.com
Q2. I definitely agree that one of the most important concerns for a client would be security. As much as the program would be designed to be secure and have the participants sign a confidentiality agreement, it might not be enough. A lot of the participants could always find loopholes if they have the intent to steal the confidential information that they don't already have insight into. A lot of company breaches happen because insiders have access to information that could enable them to get more. This could pose a threat for the clients to lose their competitive edge.
ReplyDeleteQ4. During my internship this past semester in Dallas, my commute to work took 45 minutes every day and I would try to make adjustments to my schedule to beat traffic. I then started using Waze and it had helped me save so much time everyday! Users of Waze work together to improve everyone's driving experience. The community-based traffic and navigation app is easy to download and use and provide information about an object on the road, cops ahead of you, and can redirect traffic to less-crowded areas. It has improved the experience of transportation in crowded cities.
Hey Neha,
DeleteIn regards to your question #2, I agree with you in that believe security is the #1 priority of a company to have (behind being ultimately profitable). However I do not believe that participants could "always find loopholes" because a company that is willing to crowdsource like this has most likely spent a lot of time, resources, testing, and money into making their security as tight as they possibly can. Will this stop the best of the best hackers from using the competition to steal information and get into the system, probably not, but these hackers of that caliber wouldn't need a competition to do that anyways.
In regards to Question 4)
I have also used Waze a few times and I agree that it is a very viable alternative to using google or apple maps in order to navigate your trip or daily commute. The community is extremely active and helpful when it comes to additional information (police officers, wrecks, etc.) and it is an excellent application. However many states are cracking down on any usage of electronics while driving and enforcing DUIE (driving under the influence of electronics) laws which might create problems with the users of Waze.
In regards to question 3:
ReplyDeleteI believe that the CEO is correct that the demand will induce the supply that is needed to satiate the demand and then some. I do not believe this idea is necessarily true when it comes to all businesses and areas in the world however when it comes to technology, programming, and innovation the demand is continuously growing every day in today's time. We are in a technology boom and in the age of information. If you look at the programmers that are being hired by companies you will see that there is not enough for the demand by the companies. Many programmers that are working for American companies are foreign workers that are on H-1B visas because the supply of American talent is just not there. Maybe in the future Americans will start to fill up the programmer market but as of right now the demand is not and will not be met with the adequate supply that is needed by technology companies.
Sources: http://dailysignal.com/2011/09/20/does-supply-create-demand
http://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2017/02/23/h1b-visas-debate
Q4) The most used app/website that I believe utilizes crowdsourcing in the world would have to be Wikipedia. Wikipedia is comprised of articles and edits that are almost all contributed by non-Wikipedia employees. Anyone can edit a Wikipedia article, write a Wikipedia article, or etc. Wikipedia has had over 135,000 registered editors (Wikipedians) that have edited some part of the website in the last month and an astronomically higher number of non-registered users that have edited a page. Wikipedians spend on average an hour every single day editing web pages and 1/5 of them spend over 3 hours every single day. This is all in order to bring the very best and reliable content to the website/application.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_community