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September 12, 2006
Can You Digg It?
I have become fascinated with the growing shift toward user-created content. After reading about Digg.com's Silicon Valley brat-pack founder Kevin Rose, I looked into the site in more detail. If you are not familiar with a user-driven, social-content Website, don't feel left out. Then, I found Reddit.com, yet another user-powered content community. All this while Katie Couric continues to be skewered for bastardizing "real" news by mainstream media (Note to MSNBC...send the check to my personal account for referring to you as mainstream) and the less august media.
Add-in YouTube.com's powering of the user-created video content (who wouldn't want their 15 seconds of fame) and the dramatic shifts in the way people judge "information/news" value becomes more apparent. At least, that is, for the Gen Y and younger audiences. It will take some time to ripple into the mainstream, but Katie's request for audience participation in creating a sign-off message is not misguided...in fact, it probably doesn't move quite far enough to make mainstream America wake-up to the changes coming.
Before you go crazy on me...I am one to believe in the value of a trusted editor of information. There is too much "data" and "information" for individuals to filter through, so we need to find trusted editors. Wikipedia is an interesting experiment, but I still value having some trusted person or organization accountable for veracity. Of course, as a blogger that is part of what this community is about -- proof that even this 49-year old traditional news consumer has found value and interest in adding new "filters" into my media stream.
For me, the marketing lesson is in the opportunities to leverage the empowerment and interactive desires of this evolving audience -- to engage them -- with marketing, as opposed to making it a passive activity. This Wired magazine article is worth reading to see how people are exploring the space. So, if you digg it, then get with it, man. (Ouch, that flashback actually made my fingertips burn.)
Posted by jcioban at September 12, 2006 7:21 PM
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