I’ve set up a new category on this site for interviews.
I plan to do one (possibly more) each month with people who offer a service or have experience and knowledge that would be interesting and valuable if you’re running an online business.
These interviews are intended as a resource for you. There’s usually no financial gain for me, although occasionally I may refer to products or services for which I’m an affiliate.
In those cases I will make my affiliation very clear.
I mentioned in my disclosure that I do not do paid product reviews. I also will not do paid interviews.
So, kicking off the monthly interviews is Stephan Vassen of Connaxis.
Connaxis created and operates Guerra Creativa, a community platform specializing in crowdsourcing. This is an innovative and highly cost-effective way for entrepreneurs to outsource parts of their business.
They particularly focus on outsource services for Web Design, Graphic Design, Flash, 3D, Animations, Games and Video.
So if you’re considering outsourcing any part of your online business, or getting good cost-effective work done for the online component of your bricks and mortar business, this may be interesting:
Me:
First of all, Stephan, many thanks for giving up your time to talk to us (me and my readers!) about Connaxis and Crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing as a concept is certainly new to me and it may be new to many, so firstly – what is it?
Stephan:
Crowdsourcing is a new concept that belongs to the 2.0 Web phenomenon (or interactive Web), where the website content is not generated either by the company or the webmaster, but is a joint collaboration between users.
We can really take advantage of it due to the remarkable improvement that it offers to software development and any other online activity.
We won’t find a single professional or a group of people searching for new solutions anymore, instead of that we will have entire communities working on the development of a product. All of this has been possible thanks to the incredible growth of the internet.
Me:
Can you give us a bit of history on Connaxis? How you came up with the idea and what your plans for the future are?
Stephan:
Connaxis is a company specialized in creative outsourcing, in other words, creative services subcontracting.
Our services are related to web design, graphic design, Flash, 3D, animations, games and video. Our services quality is guaranteed by our Consulting, Programming, Internet Marketing and Support departments.
We are located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is becoming the center of many global companies due to the highly qualified human resources and the abundance of creative dexterity available here.
We developed Guerra Creativa, a 2.0 platform that offers design solutions though the crowdsourcing process.
Thanks to its success, we are planning to extend Guerra Creativa’s services and functionalities to turn it into a reference website for all Hispanic designers.
Me:
What benefits does a small business owner get from using crowdsourcing as a way to get things done?
Stephan:
The fact that crowdsourcing is based on a community’s activity means that there are a huge variety of possible solutions to a single problem at our disposal, related to design, in Guerra Creativa’s case, or any other issue. This does not involve an additional cost.
Me:
What about the people who are the resources in a crowdsourcing model? Meaning the designers, in the case of Connaxis – what are the benefits to them of becoming involved in a project like this?
Stephan:
The main benefit for the designers involved is the opportunity to get freelance jobs, from their homes, without schedules and according to their availability.
Additional to this is the potential for establishing professional relationships with companies from all over the world. Many young people without work experience have the opportunity to show their talent and develop their work through Guerra Creativa.
It’s also used by professionals to show their services, thanks to the way the internet facilitates international communication.
Me:
How does it all work – meaning if a designer wanted to become involved with Connaxis how do they go about it? Are there any specific qualifications they need?
Stephan:
If a designer would like to be part of the community and participate in contests, they only have to sign up on Guerra Creativa’s webpage. There’s no specific requirement in order to do so.
They can start creating their personal portfolio and interacting with other members of the community right away.
Me:
And how would someone who wanted to get a design done go about it? What steps would they need to take, how much would it cost and how long would it take?
Stephan:
Everyone needing a design solution can launch a contest in Guerra Creativa.
In order to launch a contest the requirement is to complete a form describing the design task and the price they want to pay for the work. There is a commission of 6% to 10% on top of the prize money.
Once they launch the contest, with a minimum of 4 days duration and maximum 30 days, Guerra Creativa’s community will start to work on it submitting different design proposals.
The contest holder can see and rate all the designs, communicate with each designer to make suggestions, adjustments or to add features, just like the normal design process.
The difference is that instead of contracting one design studio, they have an army of designers at their disposal!
Me:
Thanks Stephan – and if someone wants to get in touch and set something up what’s the best way to do that?
Stephan:
Just visit the website. Everything’s set out there and it’s pretty easy to follow.
And if you have any questions just drop us a line through the ‘Contact’ page.
Me:
That’s great and, again, many thanks for your time!
Stephan:
You’re welcome – the pleasure’s all mine!
Look out for another interview soon!
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