Introduction:
The emergence of social networking applications has allowed groups and individuals to interact socially to new and unprecedented levels, and all while online [1]. The increasing popularity of such applications and the revenue they generate has necessitated the need to determine at least in part the driving forces behind social applications[1]. While investigating several applications, one aspect intrigued me greatly, that of user created content (UCC).
Background:
This article will focus on investigating three social networking applications: Facebook, LiveJournal and LastFm to establish how they incorporate UCC to enhance social networking. The synergy between UCC and its commercial applications will also be discussed, in addition to both the positive and negative aspects of using each application. To begin with, the focus of this reflective article will be presented, followed by a reflection which will lead into the conclusion of the report.
Focus:
One common tenant of these social applications is that they allow a user to personalize and customize to some degree various aspects of the medium in question in such a way that it reflects upon the author. This in part is why these programs are so successful, as by human nature people are curious about not only about their fellow peers but also by complete strangers at times. While investigating several profiles of my friends on FaceBook I noticed that the situations in which the individual had created unique content proved to be far more interesting. By the nature of their existence live journal and LastFM revolve around user created content, and this is perhaps why I found these to be far more fascinating than FaceBook.
One of the core purposes of social networking sites is to promote social interaction, and this of course is helped if human interest is generated; it helps strengthen or continues existing relationships and makes forming new ones considerably easier at times. Therefore for this reason it is important to discuss how UCC can be integrated well with social and mobile computing tools and why it works. Additionally, upon searching several live journal blogs it became apparent that generating unique content can be very profitable; this second question of why this is so is of much importance. This is because being able to generate revenue while using such tools adds a certain notion of sustainability that promotes and potentially evolves the market.
Reflection:
Facebook:
Facebook more so than the other two tools discussed later tends to promote customization and personalization as opposed to the creation and distribution of user created content. While not necessarily a bad thing, it does show where its focus lies and where it can be improved; it’s nice to know that another user appreciates the same taste in television shows as you do, but once you realize that the most popular shows are liked by everyone it soon becomes far less unique. After the tenth or so profile to praise the television show ‘Lost’ [2] which also had the same beer drinking application (and coincidentally almost all the same applications) it dawned upon me that personalization alone is not enough. Despite the fact that no two people in the world are identical, the nature of popular media and culture suggests that many people are going to end up having many similar preferences and opinions.
That’s not to say that customization is a bad thing; it’s just that it’s not enough on its own and pales in comparison to the rarer occurrences where Facebook profiles offer unique user create content. Take for example the Graffiti and Video applications. The former allows you to create, receive and send images that the user personally creates [3] to and from other Facebook profiles. Not only can it be vastly entertaining (and hence why it’s one of the most popular Facebook applications) it makes it my opinion a lot more entertaining. Likewise, the video application allows users to create and share videos and music that they have created themselves, even if it can be used to virally send existing videos.
The most common ways to make money on Facebook revolves around advertising and sponsorship given to Facebook application designer [4]. While designing falls out of the reach of many Facebook users, it once again highlights how facilitating the creation of unique content is the way to go. By rewarding those with the initiative or creative drive to create their own applications, you lay to foundation building blocks for a prosperous and interesting community.
LiveJournal:
Live journal by its nature fosters creative content from its users. While it’s true that it can be used privately or for completely uncreative reasons, it is commonly used as a blogging service to share thoughts and opinions. Blogs whether or not they are non-fictional or fictional (one can always blog about stories they have written) tend to be written with the aim to entertain or interest. Live journal provides this opportunity to people, allowing them to share their thoughts or a snapshot of their daily lives with their friends, a loyal reader base or complete strangers.
Naturally as a result, it can be quite entertaining and interesting to read the various blogs on offer; this in turns help fosters desire within potential bloggers to begin their own, continuing the cycle. Many bloggers have a loyal reader base [5] which helps support once again the notion that user created content will and does play an integral role within these social networking tools. This is reflected in some of the core features of LiveJournal, that allow users to ‘friend’ other blogs they are interested in. People are also encouraged and allowed to leave messages on other blogs, once again promoting the social aspect of the site [6].
LiveJournal is different from several other tools in that it allows you to sell merchandise much in the same manner of an online retailer [7]. In this example, a live journal blogger has built up a loyal fan base through user created content, and has used this as an opportunity to sell clothing that they design. By creating an interesting blog they are able to influence readers into potentially buying their products, and hence have generated a source of income through a social networking tool.
Negative experiences from attempting to generate a LiveJournal of my own however stemmed from a lack of applications and ease of design. While not overly difficult, some beginners or users not familiar with the internet could have difficulty in getting started. Some elements also require knowledge of html which once again may deter potential bloggers and or users.
LastFM:
Positive: LastFM is a social networking tool aimed at music listeners. It works on the principle of collecting data from its users to not only improve the experience for them, but other users both potential and current [8]. Data collected from users is used to match songs with personal preferences based on genre, artist and a wide variety of other qualities. This information is then often used to recommend music to new listeners with similar tastes in addition to creating radio stations based on the listeners preference. Interesting statistics such as the most played artist of the week are also provided on the site to curious listeners.
LastFM is different from the prior mentioned social networking tools in the sense that it does not require any registration or sign-up. Listeners can simply listen to songs free of charge without putting in any effort. The value of the site however really comes from participating by submitting song preferences, and interacting with the rest of the community. By creating a profile you not only allow others to see your musical taste, you can choose to see what your friends or others are listening to. In this sense it helps foster a strong social networking community using user generated content. The difference in this scenario however as compared to LiveJournal is that the user content is automatically generated (radio stations, playlists) with little interaction from them.
This is also unique in the sense that the content is not only valuable to the listener, but to LastFM commercially as well. Furthermore, the site encourages unsigned artists and bans to create and share their music in the promise of promoting their music, and secondly giving users a fresh selection of new songs. Given these conditions, it’s of no surprise that LastFM is enjoying a loyal and growing customer base in addition to great success [8]. In addition, the ability to automatically generate unique user content provides an interesting insight into the potential of social and mobile networking tools.
Conclusion:
As mentioned earlier, the social and mobile networking scene is becoming increasingly important for commercial businesses and users of social software. In the likelihood of more providers entering the scene, it’s integral to develop and foster the notion of user created content with regards to two key ideas; that user created content is far more interesting and thus helps promote and develop the tool and community, but also for its commercial application.
Thank you for reading my reflective blog,
Adrian Phillipps, 40563695
References:
[1] OECD, 2007, Participative Web and User-Created Content: Web 2.0, Wikis and Social Networking,
http://www.oecd.org/document/40/0,3343,fr_2649_201185_39428648_1_1_1_1,00.html
[2] Lost, ABC, http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=index
[3] Best Facebook applications, http://www.bestfacebookapplications.com/2007/06/19/graffiti-facebook-application/
[4] How to make money with facebook, http://www.virtualmarketingblog.com/index.php/20071003/make-money-with-facebook/
[5] Blogmaestro.net, Professional tips for how to increase blog subscribers, http://www.blogmaestro.net/blog/professional-tips-for-how-to-increase-blog-subscribers/
[6] LiveJournal, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livejournal
[7] Belluspera's Livejournal blog and online retail store, http://users.livejournal.com/_belluspuera/
[8] LastFM, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lastfm
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