Seven experts were on hand to discuss the broad topic of user-generated content. Here, theyexplain what it is, why it’s a hot topic and how it can help you with your digital marketing strategy:

• User-generated content (UGC) can be socially driven, crowd-sourced,organic or paid. It can come from individual users or via peers, andhas the potential to create and drive conversation.

• UGC often centers on specific events or a place in time.You need to have the right content, the right platform andthe right audience.

• It can provide authentic consumer insights andbrand solutions, showing you what consumers reallythink.

• You can use UGC to help your customers, to inno-vate and to develop products — but be credible.

• Comments and dialogue keep people engaged, sodon’t stifle the debate. Develop your voice for storytelling,let people have a conversation and be careful with incen-tives.

• The benefits of UGC include: customer trust, brandaffinity and brand engagement, earned media, research opportu-nity, a cost-efficient content pipeline and SEO.

• UGC impacts brand favorability, visibility and purchase intent. Authentic content outperformstraditional ads, so make sure that you’re reflecting your brand, adding value and being human.

More and more newsrooms arebeginning to leverage the power of datain order to gather news and to tell sto-ries. Several data scientists and expertstalked about this convergence and thesignificance of “pre data” and “postdata.”

This refers to how an article isresearched and themed, or how a storylead is generated (pre data), to measur-ing the analytics after the piece is pub-lished (post data).

“Data is a tool that helps informdecisions,” said Jane Kelly, data sciencelead at BuzzFeed. “And data scientists

are brokers for content, who are analyz-ing and communicating.”

Because data is evidence, and goodjournalism is evidence-based, it’simportant to look for signals andthemes first, and then to look for reac-tions after the piece is published, thepanelists agreed. “Many journalists fearthat they will be valued quantitativelyand based on metrics,” said The NewYork Times’ Chris Wiggins. “There is nolonger a church and state in journalism,but it’s now editorial, sales and engi-neering.”

12 May 2015 TACTICS

Social Media Week New York Recap: Reimagining Human Connectivity By Amy Jacques

Social Media Week New York took place on Feb. 23–27 at Manhattan’s Highline Stages. This year’s conference focused on reimagininghuman connectivity, creating organic content and presenting your best self online. Here are some highlights from this year’s event:

“Vine is a culture engine,” saidJeremy Cabalona, community managerat Vine. “More than 100 million peoplewatch Vines each month.”

It is a living community, not just aplace to dump content. Respect theinterest and voice of the community tocreate short-form, six-second videosthat people will remember, he said.

Members of Mashable’s story-telling and creative teams were also onhand to talk about the benefits of usingthe platform. Since Vine is so sharable,you can easily convince the newsroom

of Vine’s utility, they agreed. It looksgreat with a story and “it’s easy to createcool, visual content.”

People use Vine “to develop theirbrand, to build up a community onsocial and to generate revenue,” said JeffPetriello of Mashable.

The site’s core voice is “to make itour own” and provide visuals to supple-ment written stories and live events inreal-time. As an editorial resource, youcan see (not just read and hear) what’sgoing on in the world with live coveragefrom Viners.

Mashable also engages on Vinewith branded content and collabora-tion, community building, chal-lenges, guest hosts and talent, anduser-generated content.

Also, Vine loops are not justcounted on Vine itself, but also if thevideo is on Twitter, Tumblr or otherchannels, so “leverage your commu-nity,” Cabalona said. “A Vine is easy tocreate, sharable and looks great witha story, so find your niche and refo-cus the conversation on the contentitself.”

Is Data the Future of Journalism?

The Ultimate Human Content Connectivity

Storytelling With Vine

Soundbites From Mashable Founder Pete Cashmore

• If we can’t keep the Web free and open, it’s going to be a less desirable world for everyone.• Always learn from what you do — your content may not work at first, but keep building andfind your voice.

• Success in content creation requires focus. You need to engage in a new way of telling stories. • The power in innovation is creating something that will change your life and change the livesof others.

“The best way to cutthrough digital clutter is

by asking threequestions: Why are wehere? What do we offer?How do we tell people?” — Christian Summers, Creative

Director, Raison D’Etre

“Leading is often an uphill battleand change oftencomes from thebottom, upward.” — Rev. Jesse Jackson

Jeremy Cabalona

Pete Cashmore All photos are courtesy of Social Media Week New York/Facebook.