A lot of websites make use of user generated content, for several reasons. User generated content is data or information on a website which is provided by the users of it.
http://www.ebay.co.uk is a good example. Users can actively generate content by offering own items for sale. They may also leave comments and reviews for items or other sellers.
Another example of this is http://www.amazon.co.uk/, which also lets users sell items and leave feedback and comments. Amazon also uses a more passive way of user generated content however, where they take data from a user's activity, and based on this provide them with recommendations for other items they may find interesting. So for instance, if someone has been browsing on Amazon for pet food, the website may then provide recommendations for related items such as pet toys.
A whole different example of user generated content is http://www.wikipedia.org/. All information placed on Wikipedia is created and reviewed by its users. By using the world's knowledge they attempt to provide a large database of information on all sorts of subjects.
Today's technology is becoming increasingly more accessible for everyone. This has resulted in some opportunities for companies, but definitely also some threats. People are now not only basing buying decisions on product specifications and company reputations, but also on customer reviews, ratings, and feedback comments. This means that good feedback may actually increase sales for a certain product, whilst negative feedback may have the adverse effect.
On what do you base your online shopping decisions?
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