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User Generated Content : Will The Real Spielberg Please Stand Up !
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As a kid, I had struggled with my Celeron-300 MHz PC to create a shorter version of Hrithik Roshan’s “Ek Pal Ka Jeena”. I needed a 3-minute piece to take part in a dance competition. The song, a 6- minute piece, definitely needed to be trimmed. That was in 1999. I was in school. Nobody in the school had a PC then. I could not have known, what I was attempting was a step towards what will be known as “User Generated Content”.
So, what is User Generated Content (UGC)? User Generated Content is the content that is being created by general public. Not necessarily by the professionals. The general users of the content, become the creators of the content, and hence the term “User Generated”. This way, all home-made videos posted on YouTube, animations, blog posts, personal picture collection on Flickr, and product reviews etc come under this definition.
So, what’s different ? Handycams have been in users’ hands since time immemorial. And your Gwalior-waale-Maamaji has shown you the mundan-ceremony of his seventh child, umpteenth time. Is that what we call User Generated Content? Well, yes. The content is sure User Generated. (if your Mamaji is not called Yash Chopra and he did not do this for his next Shah Rukh starrer), the difference is the distribution. Internet and mobile phones have emerged as powerful distribution media. So, however mundane that mundan may look to you, it might be an interesting video for someone sitting in Manchester, and that person might be willing to pay to view it. Websites like Youtube, Revver have made it possible for anyone to upload their videos online for the world to see.
Mobile phones provide another alternative screen where the user generated media can be viewed. Verizon, an international mobile phone company did an experiment where it partnered with Revver to show videos on mobile from Revver website. Revver places an ad before and after the video. The revenue from advertisement is shared with the creators of the video. This acts as an incentive for the user to create more quality content.
Nokia has carried out a survey in 17 countries hand has come to the conclusion that in five years, 25% of all entertainment content on the internet and mobile will be created by the mobile phone users itself. Nokia interviewed consumers in the age group of 16-35.
Mark Selby, vice president, Nokia. said
“We predict that up to a quarter of the entertainment being consumed in five years will be what we call ‘circular’ ”
He further added
“The trends we are seeing tell us that people will have a genuine desire not only to create and share their own content, but also to remix it, mash it up and pass it on within their peer groups”
User generated content is gaining popularity worldwide. Even in India, with Internet becoming ubiquitous and online filmmaking competition on a rise.
With an increasing number of people owning camera-mobile phones and handycams, more
and more people are increasingly getting on to making and uploading content.
Podcasts are another kind of online content which is getting popular. Now Podcasts are the audio content. Not necessarily music. It can be an interview, an opinion, an audio article. Basically anything in audio format that you record and then upload online for others to see. Many of the users are running quite successful audio podcasts. These are just as your private radio station. You record a show, and then release it on the internet. People who like your work, will subscribe to your podcasts and will become regular listeners.
Mobile companies in India have started looking mobile and the internet market seriously. Companies have already started making content, specifically for mobile and internet screens. Involving users in the content creation process can be a strong value addition.
For ages, the producers of the content have wondered about what is it that the end user wants to see. What is the taste of an average audience? Its time for the audience to stand up , take the camera, and answer this question
coherent post Ankit - some interesting observations!
Your post also hints that mobile social networking will impact users in a big way because special formats need to be developed for mobile sharing.
Interesting to see how all our posts are tying into each other. Hope thats benefiting the users!
Thanks for your comments! again i love the personal tit bits you add it really makes the post interesting!
@Harshil
I like the word you used. “coherent”
I am sure the users are benefitting a lot from our posts.