Crowdsourcing Caveats: NASA Learns The Hard Way

Colbert's chutzpah created colossal cosmonaut calamity.


















In the spirit of modern brand engagement, NASA decided to invite people to vote for the name of a new room in its space station. Crowdsourcing is in vogue because soliciting participation encourages involvement and belonging (hence enhanced attachment). It's also part of a wider democratization, a trend fueled by the internet and social media in which people participate in brands rather than them being formally planned and imposed by anointed architects.

It comes with risks however, as NASA discovered. Its failure to stipulate that choices were only among those listed gave Colbert the latitude to encourage his devoted followers to write-in HIS name, which thousands duly did.

In an additional failure to understand the cultural climate in which it exists, NASA has announced that it reserves the right not to adopt the winning name and select an alternative. Asking people for their opinion and then not listening to it is a sure-fire way to evoke a backlash. Better not to be involved than actively ignored. One hopes that NASA will come to their senses and that next time it will frame participation in a way that avoids unanticipated - and in this instance unwelcome - contributions.

Democracy's last frontier revisited

There was a deep irony previously overlooked in our earlier reporting on democracy's last frontier. People regardless of economic circumstance may have the same access to sunshine, which warms the spirit and soul. But everything is not equal once the sun goes down.

About two billion people worldwide go without an affordable access to light. It has a crushing effect on the ability to live everyday. Children can't study at night, women are less safe outside, people are hindered getting to hospital. Even something as important as home child-birth is harder.

Thanks to the dedication of Mark Bent this is changing. He has created an ingenious method that uses solar energy to power flashlights and torches. His invention gives up to seven hours of light on a daily solar recharge and can last nearly three years between replacements of three AA batteries costing 80 cents. Each year in the US alone, billions of batteries end up in landfills, because the productive life is so short.


Sun than lights up the night

Thank you Mr, Bent for all your efforts and your inventiveness as a force for good.

You've taken the idea of sunshine being the last frontier of democracy from the day into the night. For that, we applaud you too.