Crowdsourcing bin Laden Humor

This Saturday, Texifter will begin its first foray into crowdsourcing, the relatively new
phenomenon made possible by complex and fast information networks. Crowdsourcing seeks to tap the collective intellect of a large group to find a result instead of relying on a specialized few. Back in May, we collected an archive of over 4 million tweets that mention Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden Tweets have been analyzed prior, however, these analyses have been devoid of human interaction. With the need for human interaction and such a large dataset, the situation presents itself perfectly for a crowdsourcing project.

The objective of the project is simple: Participants will be asked to “code” or rate at least 750 tweets using a simple scheme designed to find the funniest Tweet in a large sample collected after the death of Osama bin Laden. We estimate the task will take no more than 2.5 hours. Our team will review a sample of each persons’ coding to ensure there is basic compliance with the coding manual. After the task is completed and validated, coders will receive a $25 Amazon.Com gift card.

The crowdsourcing does not end with the coding. In October, Texifter CEO Stu Shulman will be delivering a brief presentation on the bin Laden Tweets at the  Association of Internet Researchers Conference. The funniest Tweet will not be determined by Texifter staff, but instead, through  face-to-face deliberation in an audience of 300+ people who will vote via Twitter. There is a special bonus for the coder who spots the winning Tweet! That coder will receive an extra $100 Amazon.com gift card, in addition to the original $25. The winner and the 4 runners-up will each receive 6 months of free Professional DiscoverText service. If you are interested, do not hesitate to sign-up, but the clock is ticking!