User Generated Media
User generated content is sometimes referred to as Consumer Generated Media (CGM). This term was originally coined by Pete Blackshaw from Nielsen Online. CGM refers to posts made by consumers about products, websites, or companies, which can have powerful effects that may change a company's reputation overnight.
A study done by Nielsen found consumers placed greater weight in the opinions and experiences of other consumers than in the brand's advertising. In recent years marketers have discovered Online Reputation Management to help control their company's image.
Sources of User Generated Content
User Generated Content broadly refers to all the various forms of media content created by consumers but is more commonly applied to online digital media sources that allow users to collaborate and share information freely. UGC provides marketers with a rich source of consumer insight that might even provide some competitive advantage. Some sources of UGC include:
- Blogs: Short for 'web log', a blog can be likened to an online personal journal or diary with the potential to be read by millions. Blog posts or entries allow bloggers to express their own uncensored experiences and opinions of a product, brand or company. While blogs are usually text based, other media based blogs such as vlogs and moblogs also exist.
- Internet Forums: Forums or discussion boards are usually organised around a specific topic or interest and allow multiple users to share their experiences and opinions in these areas.
- Social Networking Sites: Social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace are online communities that allow users to connect over common interests which may include products or brands.
- Podcasts: Podcasts are radio-style talk and music shows which can be downloaded from the internet as audio files onto portable media devices.
- Customer Review Websites: These websites such as Epinions are solely dedicated to consumer opinions and reviews of products, services, brands and businesses. Ratings systems on websites such as Amazon and eBay are also forms of customer reviews.
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