Design for creating, uploading and sharing user generated content

The power of users playing the roles of authors and editors is undeniable these days [1]. New media, not only the Internet, are enabling people to become active users related to content production and sharing, and in co-creation of User Generated Content (UGC). In particular younger users and heavy users of Internet use networked applications to create and share content [1]. There is a need for UGC applications targeting a broader market, including older users and average Internet users. Today, the knowledge in designing and building for co-creation in networked media is still rather weak. The lack of information about UGC characteristics makes it difficult to expect what kind and amount of content will be produced, and to understand and interpret the reasons why users and user communities arise or fail. A significant effort is currently made by the HCI community in order to support active user involvement into the design and evaluation of networked applications [6]. Non-professional users are encouraged to become active producers and designers themselves [1]. However, there is still the need to explore how to apply and further extend these approaches and methods to better understand, design for and evaluate UGC applications. This SIG will contribute to this discussion by actively involving the audience in UGC creation.