Monday March 30th Roundup

This week we’ve got questions about how to define user generated content, surveys of online business models, and more.

• To start the week: a fantastic article at Adage (the best pun-as-url ever) co-written by Jimmy Wales (of wikipedia, of course) on how most [people] define user-generated content too narrowly. It brings up some interesting points about how a lot of online interaction is (or produces) user generated content.All in all it reminds me a bit of a talk at Big Ideas that David Weinburg gave on Knowledge at the End of the Information Age. In it he notes that as search developed suddenly the line between meta-data (summary data we use to sort data) and actual data became blurred. I believe that the same can be said about social media and content, that the line between content and the act of creation has been blurred to non-existence. Looks at websites like worth1k.com (one of the most successful exercises in “user generated content”, in my opinion) where the content being created is, one could argue, secondary to the process of learning in the over-all intent of the site. The real content isn’t silly pictures, its the learning that goes on in the interaction between members.
• The Longtail Blog is running what is basically an older article from box.uk, but its worth it none the less for its terrific survey of free business models online. Apparently the most used models are advertising based, followed by ‘freemium’ models.
• Finally, Huo Mah has some tinfoilry on Google and its new algo changes. He discusses potential implications of Google returning sections of pages and longer snippets.

• Not standard Roundup fair, but Nettuts recently turned me on to Cufon, which allows you to embed fonts into web pages without flash or anything. Its a very very cool service, and a great holdover for all you print designers sitting around waiting for new @font-face to arrive.
• No matter how much I think I know about HTML, I am always surprised by the tags that I didn’t know existed. Well, Nettuts has a list (I know, I know) of tags that you really should know. Neat stuff.

• Advanced Web Metrics had a cool how-to on implementing roll up reporting in Google Analytics.
• On a less technical note, Eric Peterson is arguing that unique visitors ONLY come in one size, and calling for a solid definition of unique visitors.

• Usability counts has a quick tip that should be obvious to everyone, but frequently isn’t: be extremely clear [about] what the website is about.

• Apparently Google has launched a free music download service in China. No plans to move it to the US, but a few quick proxy-servers…
• It’s official, the iPhone is getting skype. Now if only I could find fast enough connections around Vancouver to ditch my cellphone in favor of my iPod.