thoughts to blog

So I’ve had a lot of spare time to think lately and I’ve come up with some things to chew on if you’re in the tech world…

Where is user generated content going?

It seems to me… that one of the largest factors in the latest Web 2.0 bubble has been user generated content… sites like YouTube, MySpace, and Flickr are all dependent on user generated content.

So what’s next? It seems to me that people will generate the content, but it’s meaning will continue to diminish as time goes on. Think about this for a second. YouTube videos are worthless unless it catches on and lots of people watch it… MySpace is worthless unless you find a ton of people to look at your stuff and comment (people are always begging for picture comments)… and Flickr is worthwhile for storing images but there’s still a popularity factor.

That’s the key… popularity. In the United States, a kid’s life is focused around popularity. As terrible as it is, kids will do ANYTHING to be popular. These websites are just one medium to facilitate this. Will it last? I don’t think so… once kids start realizing that these (now) polluted websites (with spam and pr0n) are going to lose value, they’ll leave. The sites are already becoming disposable, it’s just a matter of time before they crumble.

What is the next step?

I’m not entirely sure… if I knew, I’d be rich like the YouTube kids… but I will talk about it for a second. What do people online crave and need?

• Ability to contribute and have it mean something


• Possibility of popularity and fame.


• Ability to communicate (becoming less important). More like the ability to make an initial connection.


• Ability to make money (not entirely just yet, but if you tell a 13 year old that they can make money easily online… goldmine for man hours)

That’s about it really… think about it, it covers social networking, user generated content sites, and all in between. There’s a lot of other things to consider… but if you start putting focus on a few of these concepts, you might have something.

This is where niche sites will take over. There you have it, that’s my prediction. I think there will be a HUGE spurt of niche sites, that will offer MORE meaningful content for people looking for it… it will offer BETTER chances at fame and popularity by having that be fueled by people you know and that have similar interests. Say you’re a great basketball player… do you want your video of your sweet shot to be seen by an NBA scout or a 16 year old girl dancing in her room to Britney Spears? The ability to initiate connections is exactly what a niche site can facilitate easily… and most important… if advertisers can narrow down demographics of a site to more important figures, you’ll get more money. If there are other things you can offer your members that mean more, you’ll get more people.

Take Curbly for example. Two of my friends, Ben and Bruno, have had wild success with their site, Curbly. It’s one of those niche sites that offers it’s users more detailed information… and more relevant information. The rewards are directly related and it gives users a chance to show off their interests to people who know and understand… it simple means more.

Here’s an idea for a niche site.

Granted… this kind of site requires more skill and equipment than the average internet user with a webcam has… but it could be interesting. Host a contest in which the internet collective as a whole produces a movie. Have people create 5 - 15 minute segments and allow users to vote on which segments make the cut. Have a rough draft of a plot, but leave it up to people to be creative with dialog and blocking. I don’t know… maybe it would work.

But the problem becomes

What happens when you have too many niche sites, or sites that pretend to be niche and end up getting too big… or sites where the niches cross. Which niche site is better than the next? Yikes… so many questions.

I’m done for the day.