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Nice to see some big thinkers making the point that user generated content represents real value, though more so because it creates context for increasingly commodity-like content.
In the course of predicting Apple’s next big move, Umair Haque, on the Harvard Business blog, writes that:
As I’ve advised for many years: the future of strategy lies in markets, networks, and communities. They allow us to rewire what yesterday were known as value chains into complex webs of production and consumption.
And:
Context is king. All content will be on a level playing field — just one click away — and so context will be even more crucial to shaping consumer decisions.
Context is made possible by these “complex webs of production and consumption” as consumers build, create, interact and collaborate in ways not contemplated in orthodox models, in which generic content is transmitted from content creator to content consumer. As we keep saying in this blog: in the context of education, it’s the uniqueness of these interactions — dynamically and continuously appearing at the course and student level — that provides tremendous and sustainable value. If I read Haque correctly, he sees the same thing. From his Havas Media “User Generated Context” report:
Third, context isn’t truly “generated” – a term which implies something algorithmic, substitutable, mass-produced. Rather, it’s often deeply culturally specific and socially bound: often, outsiders can’t even make head or tail of what’s really deeply powerful context, because they don’t understand the signs or language connected consumers have evolved.
In the educational context, discussion, debate, learning and engagement all take place at such a granular and personal level that it’s not just possible, but likely, that two classes of students could experience different learning, different pace and different outcomes, while taking the same course featuring the same underlying content.
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You can reach Ian at ian @ symtext . com
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Well said, Ian. A nice play on the common wisdom that “Content is King”. Totally agree: Content without Context becomes meaningless noise. And Symtext is an excellent example of a new breed of companies delivering very context-relevant content.
But I disagree somewhat with Umair that context cannot be generated algorithmically. That is exactly what Reputation Management Analytics is all about. These algorithms find relevant context in the exabytes of otherwise meaningless data on the net. Check out our page on reputation management analytics at http://www.inbound-marketing-automation.ca/more-leads/managing-your-reputation/ and how we use it to develop context for our clients. Automation (and algorithms)are the only way to analyze massive content for context.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Axel.
I think he’s making the point that users add essential context to underlying materials, and often in such a complex and specific way that mini-cultures can form around kernels of “generic” content.
This is not to detract from your statement about reputation management and how UG context can be algorithmically tracked and managed: your point is well taken! (And I’ll check out your site.)