User Contribution Systems

Hi technology bloggers, this week focuses on using Cook's user contribution taxonomy, providing examples of different companies that use passive and active methods of user contributions.

Ebay is an excellent example of user's actively contributing to the website by selling their products on the marketplace. The user gives Ebay the information about the product, allowing the consumer to add as much information about the item they want to sell and adding their own reviews and comments to encourage other users and customers to buy their items. It also provides a cheaper way for consumer's to sell their own products online without having to create their own website. Ebay makes profit through this user contribution by charging user's to put items up for sell and also takes a small fee when the items are sold.

Another great example of active contributions is through Amazon's reviews. Customers can add reviews of products they have purchased which can help influence new customer's decisions about buying those products. Other customers can benefit from looking at this information as it can help them make important decisions and is often more informative then descriptions about the product ccreated by Amazon. Amazon can also save costs by not having to take the time to place this information on the website and can rely on user contributions.

Amazon also provide a passive example of user contributions by analysing customer past purchases and generating recommendations for future purchases. Amazon uses the information from customer's past purchases without the customer having to input any information aprt from purchasing the items on the website. From this Amazon can generate recommendations for what the customer may want to buy next. If Amazon gets this right they can generate more profit through extra sales and the customer will be satisfied if they are provided with an option of products that they would consider buying.

Nowadays more and more people are relying on user contributions to influence what they do and what they want to buy. Even me blogging this post is a way of actively placing information on the web, influencing people's opinions and adding my own stamp on Cook's user contribution taxonomy!