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Definition of user generated content
- The term ‘user generated content’ means publicly accessible Internet pages which are created by and shared by the people who use them.
- User generated content can include images as well as text.
- Blogs, social networking sites and podcasts are all examples of user generated content.
- Some of the best known websites comprised of user generated content are Google, Wikipedia, TripAdvisor, YouTube and Facebook.
- User generated content is often abbreviated to UGC or referred to as user created content or consumer generated media.
The evolution of user generated content
Initially, websites were typically one-way portals but today it is more common for them to have user generated content. User generated content can include blogs, social networking sites and podcasts among others. As the internet has evolved, the boom in popularity of user generated content has been heralded as the “Second phase of the internet” or “Web 2.0″. In 1999 the free web-hosting service Geocities was the third most popular site on the Internet, with only AOL and Yahoo more popular in terms of website visitor numbers. But with no way to integrate user generated content, Geocities found itself unable to compete with its rivals and in 2009 the owners announced they were closing Geocities. UGC is the modern way to ensure that your business website develops in time with the Internet.
User generated content and the Media
People creating user generated content in relation to the Media are often referred to as “citizen journalists”. Citizen journalism can include blogs, video footage of events, interviews and analysis by non-professional journalists. In 2005 the British Broadcasting Corporation launched a groundbreaking user generated content team, allowing viewers to contribute to the news in a way they never could before. In 2006 CNN followed suit with the launch of CNN iReport. Other major broadcasters quickly followed. In recognition of the impact of user generated content, Time Magazine announced in 2006 that their Person of the Year was “You” – honouring all the people who have contributed to user-generated content on the Internet. The need for UGC is growing and is expected to be increasingly important in the future.