Is it time to move from user-generated content to expert-generated content?

Mar 09, 2008

Especially content to be used as critical reference like technical, historical and medical? Web 2.0 has been the era of user-generated content, may it be YouTube, the millions of blogs or MySpace. Social media took the Internet by storm and became the buzzword. There is nobody it seems who surfs the Internet and is not aware of some or the other social media or social networking website. Most of the content existing on social media websites and blogs is generated by the users, and not by "experts".

Websites like Wikipedia, where some of the users are also authors and editors, are being viewed suspiciously because sometimes they have erroneous information on them. This is also a reason why journalists tend to take bloggers lightly — they often complain that they (journalists) do all the hard work and bloggers keep commenting on them as "armchair journalists". Inaccuracies often creep up when the content is generated voluntarily, free of cost. The magnitude of the problem gets amplified when even the references used cannot be relied upon.

This is a problem discussed in detail at this link.

As usual I agree and disagree. Not all user-generated content is inferior and unreliable, and I personally believe content-quality is going to be self-sustaining, as more and more content is generated to generate advertising revenue. If your content is not reliable and cannot be trusted, sooner or later people will stop visiting your website or blog. Blogs and websites that depend on repeat visits will have to ensure quality and trust. The link above claims there are many inaccuracies at Wikipedia, but I think every kind of medium has its pluses and minuses. Nobody is suggesting that you derive nuclear science theories after taking references from Wikipedia. As a research tool you can begin with Wikipedia and then verify the information from other online and offline resources.

The same holds true for every kind of blog and website. You access the content, and if you need to verify then go to other resources available to you. This also holds true for information that exists outside of the realms of the Internet.

As far as blogging is concerned, I don’t think user-generated content here is just a passing phase. Blogging is not merely a publishing tool in the hands of the literate mob. It is going to stay, and advance, as one of the most potent communication tools the civilization has ever witnessed.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Is it time to move from user-generated content to expert-generated content?”

thinsurface
March 9th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Since many field experts have turned to blogging as an outlet of sorts, there is a growing movement of “expert” bloggers, or authoritative blogging. Although most information should be clarified and defined through other sources if you are researching for facts, you always have local libraries (along with the internet) to cross-research the subject.
Journalists look belittle the bloggers in part because of their lack of ability to influence the reader through opinion and facts from both sides of the story. They are usually under intense pressure to sway the reader towards forming a “generally accepted point of view”. Bloggers, on the other hand, are bringing more of a conversation and giving the reader a voice - an opportunity to let out facts and opinions that shape our community. By doing this, bloggers are releasing the voice of the people, something that modern media was designed to replace. Blogging is bringing back the voice of the people, media and journalism were designed to speak to us and instead of us, NOT for us.
For me, the reliability of the internet is no more or less accurate than the information we get if we ask 100 random people. There will be an element of truth to each bit of information you receive, but all should be researched further to determine the “closest truth” to the subject.
Lance Winslow
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I too recently bought this book, it is done quite well, kudos to the author. You know, recently, an associate of mine stated that Blogging is not just about having your own soapbox, digital scrapbook or group of friends bantering about; today, small and large businesses have begun blogging to communicate with customers, sell products and services, inform potential clientele and get business.
So, in essence what he is saying is that you need a blog whether you run a small business, sell wares online or are part of a multi-national corporation that needs to continually enhance brand image and communicate your PR message to the world. Of course, the blogger is right, blogs are so much more than they use to be. This is why if you are in business or run a non-profit endeavor, then you need a blog, thus, I recommend another very good book to you:
“The Everything Blogging Book - Publish your ideas online, get feedback, and create your own worldwide network” by Aliza Sherman Risdahl - 2006.
In this great book you will find all you need in order to develop a strategic plan for your business blog, marketing efforts and how to communicate your message effectively. Of course, the author is quick to point out that your blog is worthless if no one reads it, this is why he has gone to extreme lengths to explain all the possible ways to get the word out. He describes bookmarketing, building social networks, and how to use just the right amount of controversy, without turning off readership.
The book goes into building subscriber base, RSS feeds and setting up and growing email newsletter lists, without too much attrition. If you are interested in setting up a blog for your business, then buy this book, I picked up my copy at Barnes and Noble three days ago, read the whole thing and am developing a plan to ignite my blog presence today!