Recently, I’ve noticed much of the user-generated content (UGC) that I’m seeing is less than stellar. Ok, it is pretty lame. If you consider time the online currency we all trade, I want some refunds. At first, it was great seeing multiple points of views, from people who were bring real insights to the table. The videos on YouTube were new, real, funny, and different. Blogs were, for the most part, insightful. Product ranking and reviews seems real and relevant. It is easy to understand how web 2.0 exploded to proliferate our online experiences. However, once UGC has hit the full masses, quantity is overriding quality.
One website I used to visit regularly was Mlive.com. It provides up to date information on news and sports in Michigan. As a leading online news provider, they were quick to adopt web 2.0 technologies and allow readers to engage in the conversation. In fact, the home page lists the most popular stories in terms of reader comments, updated in real-time. I’ve noticed sports articles are always the most popular, generally commanding 7 out of the top 10 stories. When you read the article and the comments, you realize a majority of the comments are nothing more than a few sports-crazed zealots looking to pick a cyber-fight on a useless topic. Michigan vs. Michigan State, etc. There are even fans of the Detroit Lions! In fact, the first post on every Detroit Lions article is “First”. Seems a few of America’s best and brightest have made a game out of Mlive’s online articles. It has basically rendered the “most popular” feature useless. MLive.com is going to have to adapt.
It seems with UGC, the early adopters are much more interesting than the early majority. Well, at least to me. Maybe there is a large contingency dying to be “first” to post about the Lions and they value the experience? I shouldn’t be so egocentric. This makes me wonder how the industry can react to bring relevance to the reader. Tagging, share and feed features help. Absolutely. But it seems they are not keeping pace with the flood of brainless UGC.
At the heart of this solution is the mythical web 3.0. Where your computer and your websites learn your needs and filter content to your point of view. While I have concerns that such a world would limit my exposure to new experiences, based upon the trend of UGC I’m seeing, I’m ready to give it a try.
Well said Jeff! In regards to web 3.0 limiting your exposure to new experiences, maybe it can be equipped with a “toggle on/off” feature. Although most of us with the same, frustrating experiences you have had might just leave it toggled to off. Maybe settings such as H-M-L can be built in to control the amount of filtering.