The emperor has no clothes
- Peter Bray
- 4 July 2008
Photo credit: ANTHONY GEERNAERT
Whether it’s 15 minutes of fame on YouTube for your crap dancing ability or your opinion on what happened to the dodo, everyone has an opportunity to express their views. This is thanks to a new breed of publishing called user-generated content. In theory, the power is with the people. But what happens when those voices are not a harmonious song, but the offkey catawauling of bombastic nobodies?
To understand the issue, we need to step back and look at why people use the web in the first place. The web is predominantly used for information or entertainment. We place a high value on the accuracy of information and would rather retrieve qualified information quickly than trawl through tens of websites. This is why Google has been so successful.
However, if we use the web for entertainment, it’s not as important if the information is true or qualified. We’re just looking for something that amuses us.
User-generated content creates a big grey area. Often there is no way to tell who is providing the review, opinion or advice about where to shop. The voice of authority can be feigned. The web has empowered consumers and business owners, but has also created a problem. You may be the best person for creating a widget, but any other company can tell your target audience that it makes a better one. This was also possible with traditional advertising, but now everyone’s message is more visible.
For example, www.qwoff.com allows people to post their own wine reviews. It has more reviews than a wine connoisseur could use in a decade. This gives you the opportunity to discover wines you may not have previously considered. However, you have no idea who the reviewers are.
If friends recommend wine to me, I consider which other wines they have picked out for me, their track record for making choices in general and their knowledge of my preferences.
A complete stranger’s personal recommendation holds little sway. So for me, Qwoff’s value on the level is extremely limited. Similarly, I find restaurant review sites are a great place to start or to inform my choices. But a rave review from a friend has far more credibility.
User-generated content may be useful to inform our opinions, but we must always allocate them the appropriate weighting.
We can learn some real lessons from user-generated content.
Firstly, don’t be concerned if someone says something negative about you or your brand online, especially if the comment is anonymous. Just try to see it for what it is: unqualified claptrap.
Secondly, if you want your service or product to be taken seriously, qualify any opinion using as many known third parties as possible. This will lend weight to your assertions.
Finally, don’t be afraid to establish a direct dialogue with web consumers by going beyond your normal sales pitch. People want to know who they’re dealing with so they can establish a mutual bridge of trust. As always, great customer service is tough to beat.
Peter Bray is managing director of interactive agency Clear Blue Day and NSW president of AIMIA.
