User-Generated Content Josh Petrusa Meredith Farkas

Josh Petrusa

Meredith Farkas

Web 1.0: Democratized access to information

Web 2.0: Democratized participation

What is user-generated content? Tags Ratings Custom collections Online community contributions Wiki contributions Comments Blog posts Audio and video Photos

Why User-Generated Content? We don’t know everything Insufficient metadata Findability and refindability Stories people tell about items are of value Interaction with materials creates a more personal connection People are already doing it! 35% of online adults, 57% of teens (Pew, 2006)

We don’t know everything

Insufficient metadata

Findability and refindability

Stories people tell about items are of value

Interaction with materials creates a more personal connection

People are already doing it!

35% of online adults, 57% of teens (Pew, 2006)

Tags User-created descriptive metadata Folksonomy - system of organizing through tagging.

User-created descriptive metadata

Folksonomy - system of organizing through tagging.

dog brooklyn ice cream factory Ice Cream NY corgi summer girl ice cream LaSalle puppy bad owner How will people search for this? Many ways to describe...

Where the tags are

Where the tags are

Where the tags are

Why tags? Lets people make sense of content using their own vocabulary (cinema? movies? film? motion picture?) Helps people to re-find their own content Helps people to discover new content Good solution for situations where content can’t be formally cataloged.

Lets people make sense of content using their own vocabulary (cinema? movies? film? motion picture?)

Helps people to re-find their own content

Helps people to discover new content

Good solution for situations where content can’t be formally cataloged.

Why not? No control People can use plural or singular words, use dashes or underscores to connect words, etc. Multiple terms to describe a single concept No disambiguation People tag selfishly (to_read, chapter1, EN101) People tag incorrectly “ Tagging bulldozes the cost of classification and piles it on the price of discovery.” (Ian Davis of Talis)

No control

People can use plural or singular words, use dashes or underscores to connect words, etc.

Multiple terms to describe a single concept

No disambiguation

People tag selfishly (to_read, chapter1, EN101)

People tag incorrectly

“ Tagging bulldozes the cost of classification and piles it on the price of discovery.” (Ian Davis of Talis)

Improving tagging

Improving tagging

Examples of user-generated content

The library Our users

Issues Moderation Technology issues (how to make this happen?) Differentiating between user content and institutional content Making it easy and appealing to contribute Letting people do what they want with their data If you build it, will they come? Evaluate your population

Moderation

Technology issues (how to make this happen?)

Differentiating between user content and institutional content

Making it easy and appealing to contribute

Letting people do what they want with their data

If you build it, will they come? Evaluate your population

Thanks! [email_address] [email_address] Links and slides at meredithfarkas.wetpaint.com Links and slides at meredithfarkas.wetpaint.com