The survey for Advertising.com's European publishers' network said that 63% of publishers already have UGC with a further 13% saying they will offer it within 18 months.
It represents a spread of UGC from the most basic communities to more advanced blogging tools and user written articles and multimedia.
The most successful part of Brand Republic's foray into UGC has been our blogging network, which has grown fantastically well and would have grown much faster if it weren't for technology limitations (these are being worked on for faster rollout and to really open up our blogging community).
Crucially what the survey does say is that, according to British sites who took part, UGC increases the time audiences spend interacting with their sites and boosts site loyalty because these people who are taking part become seamlessly adopted as part of the community. That's the result we are all looking for (it is the key test of audience engagement) and is one of the reasons why publishers should be embracing UGC more.
The main suggestions among those surveyed was to monitor uploads prior to going live on the web and employ dedicated moderators and automated filtering technologies in order to protect advertisers' brands. YouTube after Finland really should be taking note.
That mix isn't for everyone and I personally am a much bigger fan of post-moderation, but employing moderators is absolutely crucial.
Advertising.com has some good advice for advertisers as well as the obvious. UGC is not suited to all brands, but ideal for many. Travel sites for instance are in their element here.
Things that advertisers need to look out when looking for partners include things like strong internal monitoring systems and sites that work with the wider industry to help set guidelines as these are the people who are more likely to take as much care of their customers' brands as they do of their own.
Gordon Macmillan
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