Last month I read in Naked Conversations, that people who blog have a passion and interest in what they blog about. I've brought this point up many times throughout my blog, but I believe passion is a driving factor about why people are so involved in the internet and this "blogosphere" nature. Its a simple matter. People are going to do what they like and will continue to do it if they find it interesting enough.
With the increasing attention and growth in User generated content (UGC) and Web2.0, there are clearly skeptics of this new information. In an article written by Andrew Keen, he talks about how anyone can create content. In Wikipedia for example, an expert can add to the information and the next day, a sixteen year old kid can change or delete the information the expert added. All in all, the issue of credibility or authority can arise in Web2.0, which can further cause incorrect information or misguide readers.
However, while these points are valid, I'm reverting back to the whole idea of passion. I may be too trusting of people, but users who are providing information or adding to certain sites have a reason to: they care about getting information out there. And yes, there will be people who may not have the same idea of what happened or researched as much as say an expert. That will happen, but for the most part, users are not going to add to content if they don't think they can contribute anything worthwhile. It is with passion and desire to inform others that they will take an active role in adding to sites.
There are even social networking sites that are popping up, such as Razoo, that are formed as a means " that encourages user-generated content around shared passions and issues."(read some more about it on this site) Passionate about issues and helping others is the basis that I see and trust UGC. Web2.0 can help the community in providing important information that is a colloboration from other community members, it can be helpful in achieving a greater good, and can overall just be a more effective means of disseminating information. Its important to realize not everyone is an expert, but you don't have to be an expert just to provide more information or add your thoughts.
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2 comments:
I agree with you. People usualy expect to read vaild info when surfing the Net. It's really scary to think that sometimes the info your getting or reading might not be right!. yeah passion of spreading the information totaly conflicts with the idea of spreading something not true. However, people should always be aware that not everything they are getting should be neccessarly true.
I completely understand where you are coming from. I have the same mixed feelings about UGC. While I know the content is questionable, I have a tendency to trust it. I also enjoy the fact that everyone can contribute rather than just a select few.
As this is possibly your last post, I wanted to say thanks for being such an awesome group mate!! I had a great time in class with you this year and I hope you enjoy the rest of your time at AU!
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