This is just too tantalising for words:
The main findings of the research were that:
- There are 5 main types of "UGC" and they fulfill 6 different roles within the BBC
- Journalists and audiences display markedly different attitudes towards the five types
- Technology is changing the volume, ease and speed of gathering news material and sources, but traditional journalism practices still important
- "UGC" at the local level is particularly interesting
- Overall there is support from the audience for the ways in which the BBC has been using "UGC"
- Specific calls to action are most useful for news gathering and when eliciting high-quality relevant comment
- only a small, select group of people submit "UGC"
- UGC should never be treated as representative
- significant barriers to participation: digital divide, social economic background, lack of impetus, and - most interesting for me - negative perceptions held by general audience of contributors
- contributors want a real world impact for the contributions - eg. "If it was going to be read by Gordon Brown, then of course I'd submit it..."
- audience content
- audience comments
- collaborative content
- networked journalism
- non-news content ("photos of snowmen")
