Monday, August 20, 2012
Why User Generated Content is Putting Your Website at Risk
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Why User Generated Content is Putting Your Website at Risk
Many companies are enlisting the help of user generated content for their websites, social media accounts or blogs. User generated content refers to content that is contributed by website users and not admin of the site.
Wikipedia is a great example of a site that completely utilizes user generated content, and travel review sites such as TripAdvisor are a good example of sites that use partial user generated content.
Most companies are using this tactic because of its many advantages. User generated content is ensures volume, and if the content is quality, it can help improve a website's search engine optimization. But along with its advantages, there are a few disadvantages of using user generated content on your site, and it's important to know what they are before using it for your site.
1. You don't have much control over the content.
It's a good idea to put a user agreement and guidelines on your site, but it won't keep people from posting whatever they want. While you can do your best to monitor what is being said and remove any profanity or inappropriate content, you still don't have control over what will be said.
For example, you may allow user generated content on your site in hopes that your users will rant and rave about your products or share news about your industry, but it could end up becoming a hub for users to complain about your industry or your products, which will completely deter your efforts.
You also have to take the word of your users. Chances are you're not going to spend the time verifying that everything users are saying on your site is true, and if someone posts a large amount of false information, it could end up severely hurting your brand.
2. It requires massive database creation.
User generated content works best when it's for your own website, social account or blog. This means that you will need to either update your existing database or have one created that allows users to post content to your site.
This will require the skill of a programmer. Not only is the creation of the database time consuming, but it can also be extremely pricey, especially if a programmer is starting from scratch. Before you decide to use user generated content, you should first decide if revamping your site is within your marketing budget.
3. Your brand will be associated with the content.
Even though the content is coming from someone else, if it is sitting on your website, other website visitors will associate this content with your brand. If a user shares their opinion on your site, other users will see the opinion and connect it with your brand. Even if you do a great job reminding users that information on the site does not reflect your company's personal beliefs, it won't stop others from associating the two.
4. There's a bigger chance of vial mishaps.
When you put an everyday person in charge of your content, you have a bigger chance of having a major viral mishap arise. It's easy for a user to post the wrong comment, video or image to your site, and once it's posted, it is available for all to see—that is, until you are made aware of it and can take it down yourself, but by that time, it will have already spread. If one of your users accidentally uploaded a picture of him from his bachelor party instead of that infographic he wanted to share, your website will be gaining a great deal of traffic, but not for the right reasons.
Just like every other marketing tactic, user generated content has its pros and its cons. It's important for you to have a thorough understanding of the disadvantages and decide whether or not they're worth the risk.
Caleb Grant writes articles about marketing and user generated content for review trackers.
Many companies are enlisting the help of user generated content for their websites, social media accounts or blogs. User generated content refers to content that is contributed by website users and not admin of the site.
Wikipedia is a great example of a site that completely utilizes user generated content, and travel review sites such as TripAdvisor are a good example of sites that use partial user generated content.
Most companies are using this tactic because of its many advantages. User generated content is ensures volume, and if the content is quality, it can help improve a website's search engine optimization. But along with its advantages, there are a few disadvantages of using user generated content on your site, and it's important to know what they are before using it for your site.
1. You don't have much control over the content.
It's a good idea to put a user agreement and guidelines on your site, but it won't keep people from posting whatever they want. While you can do your best to monitor what is being said and remove any profanity or inappropriate content, you still don't have control over what will be said.
For example, you may allow user generated content on your site in hopes that your users will rant and rave about your products or share news about your industry, but it could end up becoming a hub for users to complain about your industry or your products, which will completely deter your efforts.
You also have to take the word of your users. Chances are you're not going to spend the time verifying that everything users are saying on your site is true, and if someone posts a large amount of false information, it could end up severely hurting your brand.
2. It requires massive database creation.
User generated content works best when it's for your own website, social account or blog. This means that you will need to either update your existing database or have one created that allows users to post content to your site.
This will require the skill of a programmer. Not only is the creation of the database time consuming, but it can also be extremely pricey, especially if a programmer is starting from scratch. Before you decide to use user generated content, you should first decide if revamping your site is within your marketing budget.
3. Your brand will be associated with the content.
Even though the content is coming from someone else, if it is sitting on your website, other website visitors will associate this content with your brand. If a user shares their opinion on your site, other users will see the opinion and connect it with your brand. Even if you do a great job reminding users that information on the site does not reflect your company's personal beliefs, it won't stop others from associating the two.
4. There's a bigger chance of vial mishaps.
When you put an everyday person in charge of your content, you have a bigger chance of having a major viral mishap arise. It's easy for a user to post the wrong comment, video or image to your site, and once it's posted, it is available for all to see—that is, until you are made aware of it and can take it down yourself, but by that time, it will have already spread. If one of your users accidentally uploaded a picture of him from his bachelor party instead of that infographic he wanted to share, your website will be gaining a great deal of traffic, but not for the right reasons.
Just like every other marketing tactic, user generated content has its pros and its cons. It's important for you to have a thorough understanding of the disadvantages and decide whether or not they're worth the risk.
Caleb Grant writes articles about marketing and user generated content for review trackers.
This post was written by: Franklin Manuel
Franklin Manuel is a professional blogger, web designer and front end web developer. Follow him on Twitter
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