UGC Trial Shows Where Interest Lies

A Norwegian newspaper’s call for user-generated content (UGC) of a skiing contest produced a flurry of activity from its readers - with surprising results.

Blogger Kristine Lowe says journalists at Drammens Tidende (DT) were hoping for an avalanche of action shots of the global skiing superstars taking part in the World Cup Ski Sprint.

But they found interest lies a little closer to home for many users who submitted pictures of their kids participating in the previous day’s Children’s Ski Cup.

“Shots submitted by readers garnered quite some interest, but people were particularly interested in viewing and submitting pictures from the Children’s Cup,” said Geir Arne Bore, editor-in-chief of DT.

The spokesperson added: “Our experiences confirm the general impression which is taking root in Norwegian media: User-generated content does not come unsolicited, and if it does come it is on issues people are very passionate about, or as a result of substantial marketing.”

See Lowe’s blog on journalism.co.uk for more information on UGC in Scandinavia.