Paying Users for Generating Content

A while back I mentioned user generated content, and wondered how long before forums and hosting sites that make money out of users content (eg from all the advertising that is on popular pages) would start paying producers for that content. of course, after hosting costs and overheads and profits were taken into account. So far I've only seen competitions and reader discounts, and no financial rewards. Until today, where I followed up a link to some videos on metcalfe.com and looked at their http://www.metacafe.com/producer_rewards/

I like the fact that it tells you how much the producer makes for a certain video. Nice way to attract more content from the "I can do better than that" brigade.

There was a nice human drama playing out in one of the comment threads of a how-to-make-a-stove video. Someone alleged that the stove blew up when they followed the instructions and they were consulting a lawyer. Whether genuine or not, it opens up content providers and hosting companies to abuse. Be careful when giving advice online.

SXSW Interactive Festival

The South by Southwest festivals end today. Along with the music and film festival, there is the festival of interactivity. The blurb on the website is enticing, and it's the sort of event that I'd love to get to just to soak up the atmosphere and see what I could take back to work:

Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. Whether you are a hard-core geek, a dedicated content creator, a new media entrepreneur, or just someone who likes being around an extremely creative community, SXSW Interactive is for you!

But it isn't in Dumfries, so I'll have to make do with the media from the Texas event. At least there should be lots of interactive media to interact with.

http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/

As a fan of spider-diagrams, I loved the idea of a graphic artist interpreting Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg's keynote speech.

BBC New-look Website

I normally go to the BBC News front page, in fact, my browser starts up to that page. So I didn't take much notice of the new BBC front page, BBC.co.uk. But, this link jumped out at me, so it seems quite user-specific. Of course, it isn't, but sometimes random seems link that.

How To Take Good Photos: Tom Ang presents top tips on how to get the most out of your digital camera.

A series that I'm waiting to come to BBC2 is "The Genius of Photography", which was shown on BBC4. I do not receive BBC4. The website has some information. And a link to the BBC photography homepage. And so, the cycle is complete.

Scottish Natural Heritage

I'd just like to recommend the Scottish Natural Heritage to you. I've been playing pine marten snap and reading up on Scottish geology. All for free on their site.

www.snh.org.uk

Well done to the SNH.

Woohoo, just found their educational resources - handy for parents taking their kids out.

Cross-fertilisation

Cross-fertilisation.

I noticed with interest that "Live for the outdoors" (Trail/Country Walking) have an advert in a photography magazine (Digital Photo, March 08). It's not great, as it isn't tailored to that market especially, and the graphic used is badly pixilated....but, in the same way that Bob's TOS allowed him to move away from 'just' being sticky content for BPL.co.uk, so this rebranding allows L4dO them to market their online content to people who are interested in the outdoors, but not the magazines.

As this involves a lot of user-generated content, I wonder how people who participate in it feel about being 'used' in this manner. No doubt, so long as there are still meets and competitions, and a feeling of community, they are happy that the hosting of photos, and cross-fertilisation of ideas and gaining of new ones is worth it. Of course, as magazine sales drop in favour of online content, one also wonders how long it will take before revenue generation becomes a bigger part of online companies. The usual way of doing this is to have basic (free) access, and additional (subscription) content. Just look at BPL.com for this model.

The fight is on, not for you to buy their magazine, but for them to get you going to their one-stop-shop for all your <insert interest here> needs. If you take photographs of the outdoors, go to <insert name of site> and you'll find content that you can customise to give you the information that you want and need. Of course, there'll be advertising tailored to this, but it will not be spam, because you might find some of it interesting.

The hunt is on. The customer is the prey. You can always switch off, escape from it all, but you'd better not go near a digital media service of any sort. Artificial intelligence and marketing. All for your benefit. Just don't eat the soylent green.

BS08

It may not be my choice of abbreviations, but BS08 marks "Breathing Space Day 2008".

Anyone can feel down or depressed from time to time. It helps to get some Breathing Space. You are not alone and talking about how you feel is a positive first step in getting help. So don't let problems get out of hand, phone Breathing Space where experienced advisors will listen and provide information and advice.

Breathing Space Scotland's Home Page

Breathing Space Day aims to encourage people to think about what they can do to take a breathing space from their hectic lives in order to nurture their mental health and well-being.

Tony McLaren, National Coordinator for Breathing Space, said: "This is an exciting initiative, designed to get people talking about how they take care of their own mental well-being in daily life, and in general promoting awareness of positive mental health and challenging stigma in relation to mental health problems.

Who could resist an organisation that uses a photograph like this? My idea of heaven - except I'd be wearing more appropriate gear and heading up that track to see what's on the other side.
For example, Cairn Toul during a 4-day unsupported solo trek to the Cairngorm plateau, Summer 07. It's 1291m/4236ft, and the Lairig Ghru's off to one side. Topped 5 Munros in the circuit. MapLink

There's lots of information on the site: "open up when you're feeling down".

--

PS: Looking at the photo again, I think the chap may be caught at the bottom of the slope, concerned about it. Aye, here's the same chap again under the "Lonely? Feeling isolated" heading.

BBC iPLayer

The BBC has relaunched their iPlayer. You can catch programmes from the last 7 days from BBC1 and BBC2, also the digital channels BBC3, BBC4, News24 and BBC Parliament.

Useful programmes for your career range from "World Business Report" to "Panorama: One Click from Danger".

They have also integrated the "listen again" radio features into the iPlayer so you can catch radio shows too. Crossing Continents on Thursday's Radio 4 was a feature on technology, e-athletes and cyber-addiction in South Korea (newslink).

Toasty

Today I have been mainly looking at website:

• Met office - British Isles: Infrared satellite animation
• Met office - Webcams
• The Kingshouse, near Glencoe
• Traffic Scotland "live eye views"

I would be going "brrr", but I got my new down jacket today. Toasty. I was going to get up Bennachie to take some photos, but someone had stolen the sky, so I didn't bother.

WLW 2008

New version of Windows Live Writer came out earlier this month. It is "out of beta", and is now WLW 2008.

Downloading it just now. It is taking a while, and seems to have quite a few more additional products

that it wants me to install. So more to uncheck.

It offers 3mb of Family Safety - to help keep my family safe online. I'll refuse that offer just now until some goons turn up to break my laptop.

The installation says that I am "free to do other things while you wait." Which is nice. It doesn't offer to go an get me a coffee though.

A few "please wait" windows flash up, and I stop typing as I lose control of the text box.

It has kept the plugins that I downloaded a few days ago, and everything seems like 'normal'.

--

Copy/paste from Notepad, and continuing writing in WLW 2008. So far I have noticed nothing new about the program. There's a list of features here. Still no symbol insertion for complex HTML codes, so I'm still using FoxInternet's page for characters that the Insert Symbol plugin can't cope with. Useful stuff if writing in Gælic; Frénch; Spaniçh - in fact almost all languages except Ænglish. Ôó ∏

Back on the main site, I read that there is now a UK English spell-checker available. Huzzah. You can also spellcheck in French, German and Spanish. Spiffing. As well as Canadian and the original US English.

In summary - a nice, free, working blog writer program. It allows me to rapidly switch between normal and HTML views so that I can copy/paste in Embed codes from other sites (eg Flickr, Zooomr, YouTube). It allows me to set the default to be 'open in new window'. It can pick up Tags from the blogs, and can grab posts down to allow me to edit them and repost them.

New features may not seem worth the download, but, heck, it is free anyway, just watch out for the 'extras' it offers. I prefer WLW to the clunky, online Blogger editor. I even use it to create comments with complex HTML tags, then just switch to HTML Code view and copy/paste the code in to the comments window. Just make sure no 'P' tags and no 'open in new window/_blank' tags either.

BeatBullying

YouTube has set up a channel that hopes to beat the bullies.

The BBC News writes:

It follows growing concern about the increase in persecution by e-mail, mobile phone and on social networking sites, known as cyberbullying.

The scheme is being launched at the start of anti-bullying week and is run jointly with charity Beatbullying.

The Beatbullying YouTube channel aims to revolutionise how young people access information on how to avoid being bullied and importantly on how to avoid being the person who does the intimidating.

Links:

• BeatBullying website
• Anti-Bullying Week (19-23 November)
• BeatBullying YouTube channel

More information can be found on these sites, including video clips from celebrities, some talking about how it affected them.

Flying High

I found this clip of a chap flying a remote-controlled model aircraft. The guy is using VR Goggles so he can see what the onboard-cameras are seeing.

Link

Website as Graph

This site does what it says on the tin. You type an a URL, and a graph of the links is created.

This is the graphic for this blog site.

Google Reader

Spent a wee while adding student blogs to www.google.com/reader. Used the 'manage subscription' facilty to organise students into their classes. Any new posts get shown on the screen right away.

I'll make it easier to see people's new work.

Google Reader doesn't show comments, but a facility in CoComment allows you to track comments and link them back into Google Reader (or other RSS readers)