Fan sourcing (original) (raw)

Fan sourcing, a term first coined by Utah-based tech startup Needle, is a branch of crowd sourcing by which businesses outsource tasks and responsibilities to a specific group of brand advocates or fans. Companies engaging in fan sourcing first determine who their fans are. Then the company engages with those fans and gives them opportunities to contribute by submitting their own ideas or working directly with customers through live chat services or other individualized customer engagement.