Someone once told me that if you find a job you would do for free, and actually get paid for it, then you have probably reached career Nirvana. I always thought that may be true for rock stars and ’80s jet setting CEOs, but a recent BBC article made me think it might be true for others as well. 


The piece explores the fortunate symbiosis between gamification and crowdsourcing and describes how a Finish company managed put it to work. Individuals playing the game invented by Microtask actually help digitising huge archives of Finland's National Library by typing in words appearing on the screen.

The concept of gamification is a new one, but the idea has been with us since the beginning of time; everybody knows that it is easier to complete a task if it looks fun and engaging. Crowdsourcing however, has sprung up in the last few years, pushed forward by the ascent of social media and digitalisation.

Well worth a read, the article might give you an idea of the shape of things to come, and perhaps of a new economic trend you should be aware of. And it might be fun as well.