When The Opposite May Also Be True

03. Feb, 2010 View Comments

I want to start this week (and this month) off with a dose of inspiration. Derek Sivers gave a brief but insightful talk on TED about challenging our assumptions and how the opposite may be equally true. I really like how his light demeanor and relevant examples easily demonstrates the far-reaching potential of this concept.

I certainly don’t want to make this out to be the one true event that challenges our world view and moves us into a new age of enlightenment. That would be silly. But I do think it’s message could open a few eyes in the fields many of us work in, such as design, marketing, innovation, sales and business.

NOTE: I’m now going to tie this into crowdsourcing. Not because I’m compelled to do so by the nature of this blog, but I actually do want to make a point.

“Whatever brilliant ideas you have or hear, the opposite may also be true.”

Crowdsourcing works at a global level and as Derek demonstrates, what is inherently understood by one person may be very different from another. This is not only true for how your requirements are read and understood, but these unique perspectives may also get translated into the participants’ submissions. Regardless if it’s a design, business idea or environmental cure, all the parties involved (clients, agencies, etc.) should be open to these alternate viewpoints.

Even at a very broad level, it’s hard not to have assumptions of what the ideal result of any crowdsourcing effort should be. Welcoming the opposite (and all points in between) could lead to some unintended but valuable outcomes.

What do you think? Comment and let’s discuss.

Crowdsourcing

ideas, innovation, perspective, TED, video

On Being a Crowdsourcing Consultant: The Road to Change

Exploring Organizational Crowdsourcing

http://dwasylow.wordpress.com/ Damion Wasylow

It's only natural to assume others see the world in much the same way we do. Our job as advertisers and marketers is to never assume.
http://www.jasonspector.com/ Jason Spector

Damion,

I agree. It is certainly in our nature to think that others see the world as we do. And as advertisers, marketers, designers, UX'ers, innovators, etc., we should never make that assumption. What I find interesting is how often these assumptions come up in the subtlest of ways. The challenge is recognizing and moving beyond them, which is one of the elements that makes us all really good at what we do.

Thanks for the great comment.
http://www.ubervu.com/conversations/www.jasonspector.com/2010/02/opposite-true/ uberVU – social comments

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http://www.metaspring.com/ Case Ernsting

I think the marketing and crowdsourcing community could definitely benefit from this mentality. Many refuse to surrender their opinion on the grounds that they are 100% right…but if the opposite is also true, that doesn't mean the original stance is wrong.
http://www.jasonspector.com/ Jason Spector

Case,

That's a great point. For as many out there that are open to opposite and varying viewpoints, there are equally as many who tend to hold onto their assumptions, whether they acknowledge it or not.

Thanks for the comment. Appreciate it.
http://www.hiphopdistribution.com/blog Mario Mendoza

I've been trying to maintain this mentality with relation to music marketing. A defining moment for me came when I visited India in 2007 for a couple of months. I wanted to get a better feel for their music culture, in particular, US music entering their society.

My hopes were to find areas where music development might flourish. Things over there were different. Everyone was on Facebook in 2007 and I really didn't care too much for the service. Music promotion was seen in sharing playlists, scrolling through each others iPods, telling friends “you have to buy this album, take a listen”. I learned a huge marketing lesson. Understanding demographics and never assuming your presence is perfect is key. I just had to be willing to adjust and embrace new channels.

Social networking now allows me to understand alternate viewpoints, and personally ask people. Nice article Jason, look forward to reading more.
http://twitter.com/MiChmski/statuses/8600811472 MiChmski (Michelle C)

Tis the week of TED When The Opposite May Also Be True @jasonspector http://bit.ly/d9WXyB
http://www.jasonspector.com/ Jason Spector

Mario,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It's interesting to hear the differences you encountered. I especially like how you phrased the lesson you learned … “Understanding demographics and never assuming your presence is perfect is key. I just had to be willing to adjust and embrace new channels.”

You also bring up an excellent point that social networking has now helped us understand various viewpoints more than ever before as well as engage with people all of the world on a more personal level.

Thanks for you comment and feedback. Appreciate it.
http://speakerinteractive.com/ Swan

I think this speaks to a potential downside in crowdsourcing. You have to be very careful what crowd you select when sourcing. If you ask the wrong or too broad a crowd, you may get perspectives that are not useful, or at worst counter-productive to whatever your goal is.

I'm all for examining a variety of viewpoints, but if they are messing with aggregate data and thereby leading you to incorrect conclusions, that is not helpful.
http://www.jasonspector.com/ Jason Spector

Swan,

I agree that it takes some due diligence to make sure you're accessing the right crowd, providing the right task and offering the right follow-up. And in anything you do, there's always some risk. However, I think the point of the TED talk and my post is to maintain an open mind and being aware of your assumptions in any field, whether it be crowdsourcing, marketing, design, sales or the overall aspects of life.

I focused on crowdsourcing simply because that's the field I work in and what I write about. But if a marketer creates a promotion that focuses on the wrong target audience or a web designer creates a US-centric ecommerce site for an international audience, the results may also be incorrect and not helpful either.

Thanks for the comment and offering your viewpoint. I really appreciate it.