Scott Karp asks the question you’re going to hear a lot
going forward: Shouldn’t the creators of user-generated content get paid like
the professionals? That’s a great
question with a not-so-simple answer. As
I’ll explain later, I don’t think the answer is yes or no, but rather something
in between…
First of all, I think it’s important to note that nobody is
holding a gun to anyone’s head. If
you don’t want to create the video, write the article or produce the podcast,
don’t! The Doritos contest Scott
talks about is likely to generate a lot of interest and submissions. Why? It’s
the same reason so many people try out for reality TV shows: They think it’s a
chance at becoming a star, or at least being “discovered.” Whether it leads to a significant contract or
just a better paying gig, it’s worth the time and effort. To demand that you should be paid for your
efforts is silly. Either
participate and accept the pros and cons or take a seat on the sidelines.
Let’s fast forward for a moment though and envision the
world of content in the year 2010. Newspapers are much more community-driven and the job of today’s
professional journalist looks much different as they’re more news
aggregators and editors than they are writers, for example. Local bloggers and anyone else with an
interesting angle are featured throughout the hybrid print/online product. At that point, shouldn’t the amateurs get
paid like the professionals? After all,
if the amateurs don’t get something other than fame and glory, won’t they take
their services elsewhere?
I think the answers to those questions are “no” and
“yes.” If user-generated content really
becomes more prevalent, doesn’t it start to affect the going rate paid for professional
content? If the tried and true
laws of supply and demand hold true, one would expect the abundance of user
generated content to drive down the going rate for content in general. Just as the newspaper is unable to cling to
the lucrative advertising rates of yesterday, thanks in large part to cheaper
alternatives, they probably won’t have to pay as much for a lot of their
content.
Like everything else in the Publishing 2.0 world, the underlying
financial models are also highly likely to change.
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