They said WHAT?User Content on Newspaper Sites

Danny DaganHead of Online Communities News Group Newspapers

Readers Users Customers

In this presentation…

• Who we are and what we did

• UGC Framed

• The practicalities

The Sun Newspaper

The best read newspapers in the English speaking world!

Newspaper circulation of 3.2 million (Sep 07)

Source: ABC/ABCe

Website: Monthly uniques 10.6 million (Aug 07) Average 23 pages per unique user

The Sun

Strong ethos and identity:

• The people’s paper, very British

• Funny and with personality

The Challenge:

• Translate the newspaper’s personality into a community.

• Engage the public.

My Sun• Add comments to articles

• Discussion Boards

• Profiles

• Blogs

• Personalisation

• Deep integration

UGC Framed

• “We are all very excited about UGC” (Generic executive)

• Legislation evolving / Case law still forming.

• Public separation of brand and content is relatively new.

• Strong public ethos of freedom of speech vs. misunderstanding of libel and contempt.

• England: toughest libel legislation (and international impact).

UGC Framed

• Public alarm around child protection issues.

• Internet developing and flourishing regardless(if not on your site then elsewhere).

• The public is less accepting of editorialising and waiting-time to publication.

• No clear standards, or kitemark.

red pill

blue pill??

Readers Users Customers

RGC – Reader Generated Content?

• Your core product is your content (newspaper).

• Quality newspaper content = high journalistic standards.

• Quality RGC will only be achieved by high RGC standards.

Good community

management is to RGC

what good editorial is to

journalism

But wait – it’s so resource heavy!

What about my P&L?

Customers

Economics of RGC

• To achieve a quality product, you need to invest.

• If you look at effort v. audience the cost is minimal (compare to editorial).

• If you don’t invest in doing it properly:

– You’ll end up with fewer users, or

– It’ll cost you more in legal fees.

Now let’s

talk shop…

red pill

blue pill??

Four key questions:

Q1. In which cases are you more likely to beconsidered a publisher?

Q2. What is your approach to children as users?

Q3. Internal or outsourced moderation?

Q4. Mechanical or human moderation?

Moderation

• Real risks - protecting our users, especially younger ones

• Obscene material (illegal / taste & decency)

• Child protection – always in the spotlight

• Defamation and libel

• Contempt of court

• Intellectual property

• Spam

• Hate and discriminatory content (e.g. racist, homophobic)

• Suicidal readers

• Privacy and user details

• Terrorism and threats

And:

- Editorial

- “Seeding” / Community management

What is a reasonable time?

• Pre moderation

• Post moderation

What we covered

• Who we are and what we did

• UGC Framed

• The practicalities

Thank You!

They said WHAT?User Content on Newspaper Sites

Danny DaganHead of Online Communities News Group Newspapers