I am working for a company that is looking to crowdsource some tasks in a fun, engaging way. The problem is that the task is very tedious. **How do we keep our users engaged long enough to complete the task and continue coming back?** 

Ideas we came up with include using game dynamics to motivate users and creating a community platform where users can connect with each other, much like Foursquare and stack overflow does. However, unlike the badges/awards/points you receive in stack overflow, users would not be getting these achievement markers based on knowledge and skill. There doesn't seem enough connection there to have users wanting to participate more and acquire more badges.

Another idea we had was a sort of marathon-type campaign. Say, I'll finish these really tedious tasks if you pledge a certain amount for me to complete them. I liked this idea because it brings in a larger community - the users and the supporters of the users. 

We want to avoid completely turning the tasks into a game because it would detract from users understanding the impact of their work to real life situations.