UGC (standing for User Generated Content) follows on naturally from crowdsourcing. UCG, however, applies to the content. It starts from the principle of today, knowledge is everywhere. How can we make the most of all the resources available to us? What tools do we use and how do we organise ourselves? Our point of view, read and share!
UGC, what’s it all about?
UGC follows on from the more global trend of crowdsourcing. It aims to welcome knowledge from all horizons - employees, consumers, experts, etc. - and thus erase the division of functions in the company.
UGC is based on the technological media that surround us in our daily lives. This is why it is so accessible! When looking for content to share, companies rely first and foremost on original content production, but also on enriched curation. This involves constant monitoring, making it possible to go to the source of information and contribute their own expertise.
UGC places the user at the centre of content creation. But who is this user? The term user has these days gone beyond its traditional meaning; today the user is also the designer, the employee and the manager. The goal? Allow everyone to create contents.
UGC and Digital Learning: a shock pairing?
In learning, UGC means valuing all levels of knowledge. It responds to an increasingly frequent requirement - decompartmentalising the functions in the company. Previously, innovation was thought of as the gradual integration of new concepts into the company. It belonged to R&D. Knowledge came from “above”. Today, this knowledge is spread by capillary action. That is, it comes from anywhere. It is assumed that widespread curiosity is "a good flaw". And in the field of learning, this can only be positive.
But UGC is not just about making knowledge usable at all levels; it is a criterion for measuring commitment. It increases the participation of employees who become contributors. Contributions can also ricochet, via comments or sharing. Another important point: UGC opens the door to the right to make mistakes. It is even a fertile vehicle for this. For example: I miss a presentation, but I produce an analysis of this mistake which I distribute internally, so that every one of my colleagues can learn from my mistake. The benefit is twofold: I capitalise on the point of view of the other employees. And they learn from my mistakes.
The increase in employee commitment by introducing UGC can stimulate the on-going improvement of the company. Integrating all levels of competence means a faster response to these increasingly pressing needs for innovation that weigh on the competitiveness of the company.
How to organise content creation and diffusion of contents?
On paper, UGC alone seems to be a small revolution for the Digital Learning sector. But good organisation is key so as not to leave the door open to all kinds of content and, above all, to meet the needs of your target audience. Simply collecting content is not enough. It must be organised so that it is always up-to-date and easily accessible. How to control the (non-)diffusion of content?
There are two ways of regulating this content. In the first case, content managers are responsible for the editorial part. They propose contents in line with trends and/or reader demand. They can also decide to reject certain content afterwards. Setting up a validation workflow early on also guarantees consistency and quality.
In the second case, regulation is a natural process. It is the technical solution that will automate the deletion or relegation of the least viewed, least appreciated or least commented contents.
Clearly, an editorial line is necessary to avoid chaos. How do you create it? Simply by asking the right questions! What content do we want to distribute? For digital learning, we shall ask ourselves: are certain contents reserved for a specific audience? Can we set up restricted content diffusion authorisations, applied to different audiences? How can the content created in-house be adapted to the corporate values?
Lastly, more global questions will be asked, like: what resources can the company allocate to content creation? What are its objectives? How much time does it have for this?
xLMS®: a solution to facilitate UGC
Le xLMS® is a solution that makes it easy to create digital contents from a text base, with options for formatting and incorporating images, videos, files, quizzes, etc. You can choose whether or not to open these contents to comments. Users have a reserved area to access solely this family of contents and a global search engine. A mobile application is also offered to create educational vignettes directly via your smartphone.
To take things further, our customers can activate automated curation options and generate bespoke briefings. We also offer a multi-author collaborative solution ELUCIDAT: the wherewithal to create interactive contents with strong educational impact.
