I often write about the potential for user-generated content to have a major impact on the digital out-of-home media industry. I believe wholeheartedly that there is a wealth of UGC that would fit seamlessly into existing networks and those that haven’t even been conceived yet. User-generated content could very well satiate the appetite of digital out-of-home media networks that crave daily meals of news and entertainment content.
The overwhelming barrier to the wide acceptance of user-generated content across traditional and emerging media platforms is the sheer size of the market. What could be looked at as its greatest strength (a vast portfolio of user-created videos that cover a diverse range of topics) is undoubtedly its largest weakness. With thousands of new videos being uploaded to YouTube every hour, seperating great content and talent from everything else is a daunting task.
YouTube continues to update its platform to make finding worthwhile videos easier, but significant burden still rests on the viewer. When the site visitor is a media organization looking to identify best of class user-created content to include within its core programming, YouTube stands to greatly benefit in making that process as efficient and painless as possible.
Welcome YouTube Direct, “a new tool that allows media organizations to request, review and rebroadcast YouTube clips directly from YouTube users.” With YouTube Direct a news organization will be able to integrate a video upload tool directly into its site. YouTube Direct will allow these news groups to screen video uploads as they come in, and use the best clips for their broadcasts and on their websites. How valuable could this tool be to media companies looking to expand their coverage, and the breadth of their content?
Immensely Valuable.
David Weinfeld’s zeal for digital signage and emerging technology’s role in enhancing the consumer experience grew from his early work in technology public relations for Motorola’s Broadband Division. From consulting to a multi-billion dollar health system on how to improve its internal communications to introducing groundbreaking mobile technology to the NBA, David’s background and experience make him uniquely qualified to usher new communication platforms into all types of businesses. 
