Comments on: Maybe people don’t really want UGC http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/10/22/maybe-people-dont-really-want-ugc/ ... at the intersection of media, technology, business and the web Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:35:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Andrew Goodman http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/10/22/maybe-people-dont-really-want-ugc/#comment-335363 Andrew Goodman Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:53:37 +0000 http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/10/22/maybe-people-dont-really-want-ugc/#comment-335363 If UGC is posed only as "creative" work - your point is definitely worth making. Of course, there is more to the "wisdom of crowds thing" or the "wikinomics thing" than just a bunch of backyard wrasslers seeking Specialness as described in Hal Niedzviecki's last book. That sounds like supply without demand. I think that's what a lot of the long tail is, at least in digital content. Unsuccessful artists who now have a cool web 2.0 excuse for wasting their time can talk about that whole tail thing :) However, where the individual's contribution amounts to valuable *information* that can be shared and tapped into by others, then it becomes powerful. It's out there. We'll find it. :) If UGC is posed only as “creative” work - your point is definitely worth making.

Of course, there is more to the “wisdom of crowds thing” or the “wikinomics thing” than just a bunch of backyard wrasslers seeking Specialness as described in Hal Niedzviecki’s last book.

That sounds like supply without demand. I think that’s what a lot of the long tail is, at least in digital content. Unsuccessful artists who now have a cool web 2.0 excuse for wasting their time can talk about that whole tail thing :)

However, where the individual’s contribution amounts to valuable *information* that can be shared and tapped into by others, then it becomes powerful.

It’s out there. We’ll find it. :)

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