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User generated content – Stop it, please!

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While listening to No Agenda #28, Adam and John came accross the subject of the so called user generated content whilst talking about the recent name change of Podshow to Mevio. This change, by the way, resulted in the same reaction for me as it did for John: “Yeah, new name, great, lets move on”.

But back on the subject: user generated content. Since the early days of Web 2.0 (yet another yuck) and YouTube everyone seems to be using this buzzword. But what would you define as user generated content?

Is the classic “baby-crotch-kick-tv” clip from the 80’s UGC? Are modern YouTube clips? Are photos on Flickr? Only the photos taken by amateurs and hobbyists or are those from pros too? What about TV shows and movies? Lost? Star Wars? There are certainly users involved when creating any of the above.

Just another bs buzzword, generated by marketing and CEOs that have the urgent feeling to play inside baseball and feel the need to do something, anything. The definition is flaky at best. Just like “Web 2.0”. It’s got rounded borders and uses pastell colors – it must be “Web 2.0” and “we have to have it”. Can we just agree to stop using words like this?