[Kate] Trgovac called this “the company I wish I had founded. White-label social media components that other companies can use: super smart.” [Michael] O’Connor Clarke called Filemobile a standout player in a crowded market because of its “breadth of solution offering, the flexibility of the UI, the quality of the analytics and the availability of functional APIs.” [Krista] Napier highlighted brand management: “Filemobile’s solution enables brand management with editing tools to let customers moderate their media services and approve and deny content, so they can protect their brands while simultaneously extending themselves to find and engage customers.”

Read the full article at backbonemag.com

In that post, I discussed that user can participate to the creative world not only by authoring content, but also creating playlists of pro content (UGP – User Generated Programming) or presenting it in their own way (UDP – User Distributed Programming).

The CBC recently launched Rogers Hockey Night MashUp, where users can browse a massive gallery of NHL clips and fly them into a very Flashy online video editor.  This solution was delivered via a technology partnership between Filemobile and IndusBlue.

User-Edited Content

Using this set of tools, Joe can now assemble his favourite videos clips, add music tracks, and then publish his “creation” to a gallery, where it can be picked, panned, rated and shared by the masses.  Future versions will include the ability to add voice-overs and actual user-generated content to the timeline.

This adds an interesting balance between professional, high quality content and personalized content.  Users are engaging with the content brand as well as the sponsor, and feel compelled to share their creations on their networks.  Time-on-site is higher than anything I’ve seen, and bounce rates are rock-bottom.  Add in pre and post roll video, and you have an impression bonanza.

Since this campaign is built upon Filemobile’s Mediafactory platform, a number of “Engagement” factors can be measured, such as views, shares, digs, ratings, comments, etc…

A great article about this type of engagement, and how some are proposing to synthesize these metrics, is Terms of Engagement: Measuring the Active Consumer, by Mark Ghuneim.

One might assume, that the cream would rise to the top and the most engaging song  would indeed be the finest piece of music submitted.  I’m happy to say, that this clearly the case with Logan Aube’s opus entitled Hockey Scores. The statistics and comments speak for themselves:  Canadians have a very odd sense of humour. 

With the addition of a call-to-action in the widget, you can now extend your brand and drive traffic back to the mothership. Did we mention we record all stats including views, geo and sources? Nice!

Click on the share button and install on your profile!

Check out the press release from CTV…

This is my audition! Why not leave a comment?

The value of users creating content is that your customers can be participants, and interact with your message instead of just being spectators. With a well-considered moderation plan, this user-generated content (UGC) can create brand credibility via public advocacy.

Case in point: CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada presents Bring Home the Stanley Cup.

Videos posted by hockey fans (particularly the finalists – currently posted from last year’s campaign) display passion for the game of hockey, the history of the NHL and Stanley Cup, family values and national unity. What better messages for Canada’s National broadcaster, a network for the people and of the people (via tax dollars), and the National Hockey League, striving to present family-friendly entertainment to an ever-fickle, globalized consumer?  The winning videos are even shown during a HNIC broadcast.

Although this is a great example of brand-focused, successful UGC campaign, most user-generated content is just plain bad.

Sure we can get people to submit videos and even get those videos on broadcast, but most of it is unpalatable.

What other roles can users fill within the communications value chain besides that of content producers?

User-Generated Programming (UGP)

This is in the form of having users create their own playlists of “engineered content”. Joe or Jane Sixpack can create their own channels of content, whether it be highlights of her favourite sports team, his favourite heavy metal playlist, or news as she wants it: world, business then entertainment. Users will stay longer, consume more content and even watch ads, if they are getting what they want AND its easy to get it.

User-Distributed Programming (UDP)

This is more than letting users share items with friends, or even embedding your video on their MySpace or Facebook page. Once a user creates his custom programming, he should be able to watch it anywhere. Take for instance, a popular talent show on television. The user selects an “engineered playlist”, such as all content, the 5 most popular clips, last night’s highlights, etc; and places it on his iGoogle. Every time that show airs, he get his fix HOW he wants and WHERE he wants it. He is such a big fan that he filters a playlist by a particular contestant (or team, etc…) and places it on his Facebook to show everyone that he is a fan. Wrap a call to action around it, and you’ve got a tethered, programmable, interactive, advocated, customizable, traffic-driving super-widget that is hit-trackable back the source! How, you ask?

Note the difference between iGoogle and Facebook/MySpace. On iGoogle, I consume MY content. On Facebook/MySpace YOU consume MY content. Well, sort of. Here is a great quote from Family Guy’s Stewie Griffin, trying to impress a high school girl:

“I took a bunch of pictures, you can see them on my MySpace page along with my favourite songs and movies and things that other people have created that I use to express my individualism.”