Can you really get someone to walk your dog for free? was the question that kicked off this chat with Micheal Clarke of ABC Townsville. It all started with a media release from DogShare that got Michael to ask “what is crowdsourcing and is it here to stay?”.

Crowdsourcing in Australia is a $10 billion industry sector growing to $335 billion by 2020, so I guess it’s here to stay and is often also  known as the sharing economy, peer to peer and the collaborative economy.

In its purest form it is a digital marketplace that allows those that have to share, rent or offer to those that want. Some of its largest brands are Uber, Airbnb, Facebook and Alibaba all multi billion dollar global giants who do not own any physical assets in their chosen category, but instead make their money and reputation by connecting those that do own it, with those that want it.

This speaks to a new era where experience is more important than ownership, where business no longer has to have and own everything and where collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships and sharing are part of doing business and living life.

Have a listen now (8 mins 38 secs) and then add your favourite crowd sharing site or example to the growing list