Community Generated Content
May 9th, 2006
The hottest marketing trend on the Web currently is the concept of consumer (or, community) generated content. That is, material created by end users that is submitted or uploaded to a website voluntarily. These websites simply serve to collect and share this content with others in a public or private group. Examples are Flickr, Ma.gnolia, iFilm, and YouTube.
Yes, it takes many forms, but is most widely popular with videos. Websites such as iFilm and YouTube are flourishing this year because of videos created and uploaded by everyday people. These videos then travel fast via email links, blog posts, and word-of-mouth. The proliferation of video capture devices such as digital cameras and cell phones makes it simple to shoot, upload, and share video worldwide. It takes only a few minutes.
Users flock to these websites to view consumer generated video. These videos are authentic and usually unedited, and they are often referred to as “web junk” or “viral video.”
For example, I have this (old) video clip of me during high school playing football. I was the kicker, number 14. I want to share it with family and friends. This video is way to big to email. So, I uploaded it to YouTube, tagged it with some keywords, and instantly I can share it with anyone on the Web or a select group of family and friends. It’s good for some nostalgic laughs. YouTube even makes it easy for me to embed it into my own website, blog, or MySpace account.
YouTube is the Flickr of video. What makes it amazing is the speed at which video can be shared. No wonder why they are believed to spend a million dollars a month on bandwidth fees.
Consumer generated content can create a sense of authenticity and uniqueness for a website, but along with it comes the risks. It often makes copyright lawyers and judges cringe. However, when done responsibly, it can prove to be a tremendous marketing tactic on the Web.
