Crowdsourcing is Schmoofty Part 1

Years ago (so odd, typing that), just after the Desktop Publisher's Scare, in between the Dot Bomb Massacre and during the subsequent Bubble-Bursting of every other middle-men industry, we had the Clip-Art Cornucopia–

Endless stacks of CDs in Staples, Office Depot, Creative Guy/Girls cubicle and links to complimentary websites all selling video, audio, sound-bites, icons, logos, typefaces, photography (web and print-based), even short story ideas and scripting/screenplay summaries. The supply of usable, open-sourced-creative (for $19.95) was endless. How long ago was that–8, 5, 4 years ago?

It was an interesting marketing premise; Large quantities of creative assets available to the masses (who considered themselves creative thinkers but not creative executers) that needed a special something to support their project, presentation or campaign. That special something to compliment and effectively communicate their new idea, product or service. Let's call this small, almost forgotten age, The Age of Schmoofty. (shoe-moo-f-t)

People argued and debated and celebrated; "This is great for creative people!", "This is great for businesses!", "This is great!". If greatness begets greatness, nothing remains great. In-fact, it becomes mundane. Schmoofty was mediocrity.

Companies where happy with everything being Schmoofty. It meant lower overhead and costs accrued by third-parties (those pesky creative elitists)where eliminated. Then–the internet happened, on a mass scale, this time around. Social-Media happened. Communication between markets, micro or macro was becoming seamless. All-smack-in-the-middle of the Schmoofty age...damn.

Everyone looking for that something special to compliment their new ideas, products and services, noticed their Schmoofty looked like everyone else's Schmoofty. It was similar, if not, a simple iteration of an identical Schmoofty being used by another Creative Thinker (sans the ability to do). You used a flag in your logo or an image of a house for an ad or an icon placed in a layout to represent a service or message–you and 30 other companies. Schmoofty had its skirt pulled up. Markets where communicating with each other. They began sharing and exchanging their favorite ideas, products and services. But the market–people who thought that they found something unique and special, saw the same schmoofty used for something entirely different. It seemed that their favorite companies and brands hadn't been that unique after all. Schmoofty wasn't looking so unique, as everyone was pulling from the same creative assets.

Schmoofty looking similar to other Schmoofty was bad. Some argued it was competitive. In-fact, it meant that only a select few Schmoofties where being noticed. Everything looking the same meant, nothing was standing out. Everyone pulling from the same creative assets meant no one had anything unique to say or demonstrate. Ideas, products and services where lost among the homogenization of Schmoofty. It was sad for many, profitable for a few, detrimental to those pesky creative elitists.

Schmoofty left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. People seemed to think that nothing was going to replace Schmoofty. Everyone stopped believing in Schmoofty because everyone had the same Schmoofty. Some charged more for it. Others simply copied another company's schmoofty-ness while the newer companies inadvertently copied Schmoofty.