The appeal of user generated content
Don’t you love those seminars that stay with you for days, even weeks, after you attend? Recently I sat in on an informative seminar on content, and why it is still king – especially for the online arena. We’re not just talking well written copy, but the images, video, podcasts and fresh posts that communicate in the most up to date way to your target audience, while also aiding SEO benefits, particularly if you’re a knitting-in-keywords pro.
The speaker that left a lasting impression – and not just for his wit – was head of editorial for Lonely Planet Digital, Vivek Wagle. We learnt how Lonely Planet grew a much-appreciated online presence for the very successful book titles. Blessed with a wealth of existing content on hand to play with, it made so much sense to reshape this content to appeal to the online audience who has an entirely different need for this content, as they’re generally on the go and more likely to respond to peer-reviews/content. Which leads me to the whole point of today’s blog. How opening up your online platform to co-creation, allowing users to give their own voice to your voice, can be value-adding. Especially when the user’s content competes!
Here is a great example Wagle presented. Both are hilarious. Both are brilliant. And both work equally as well. It’s safe to say the co-created content definitely added value.
Lonely Planet content: The Insane Taxi Driver
Co-created content: The Hanoi Hustle
Yours in design,
Julia-saurus
