Why You Must Have a Plan for User Generated Content and Rankings

There have been several great posts and comments on the MarketingShift blog regarding the process for promoting user generated content on Digg.com. From their website, Digg states:
Digg is all about user powered content. Every article on digg is submitted and voted on by the digg community. Share, discover, bookmark, and promote the news that’s important to you!

Ah, but according to many users, the system is rigged. See the Digg article “Troubles In Diggville” started by Michael Arrington on TechCrunch. It appears that groups of Digg users have banded together to ensure that articles that represent a particular viewpoint are pushed off the first page (and in some cases further than that…). The political commentator Michelle Malkin was one of the first folks to point this out and to complain to Digg co-founder Kevin Rose.

In response to the growing criticism, Kevin Rose stated that while user groups recommending content is a great thing, Digg will be updating its algorithm which ranks articles submitted for popularity. The goal is to reduce the impact of groups on rankings while increasing the diversity of Digg’s members who impact the rankings. We’ll see if it works.

Way back when in the distant Internet Bubble years, gaming the system to promote content or earn points in communities was rampant. It continues today. If you are implementing a ratings system or other type of rankings which are controlled by members and impact user generated content, you need to be very clear about those who game the system for their own gain. In short, you must give your moderators the ability to short circuit the gamers for the overall good of the site.

Only by having a detailed plan of action covering this type of user behavior (and it is very common) can user generated rankings effectively help promote user generated content. After all, the idea of user generated content is to drive activity for your site and insight to your team. Gaming only leads to more Paris Hiltons… and that dilutes the experience. So be prepared, write out your plan, test it, and be ready if it breaks down…

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