Study: User-Generated Content Popular But Doesn’t Make Money
By 2013, 155
million of US Internet users will consume some form of user-created
content, up from 116 million in 2008 — and the number of user-generated
content creators will grow by similar proportions, reaching 115 million
in 2013, up from 83 million in 2008.
according to eMarketer.
And everyone loves it. I mean, it's cheap, it drives traffic and engagement, and it can be darn fun to play with. Like putty. This of course assumes that you don't look too deeply into it and try to analyze the psychological identity of the creator, that is, the American public — which I don't recommend doing, ever.
But not everyone, apparently. Advertisers, fearing its "inherently unpredictable" nature, tend to steer clear of it, which puts a lot of pressure on site publishers and social media channels to give them safe havens. But do those really exist? How do you juggle "true" UGC with the need to moderate for quality and relevance?
