5 ms·

Let me get this straight here. Bookmarking, re-tweeting, and posting links on tumblr count as content creation for the purposes of this article? I'm a bit incr

Let me get this straight here. Bookmarking, re-tweeting, and posting links on tumblr count as content creation for the purposes of this article? I'm a bit incredulous as I don't really see it as such. I'd venture to say that you still only have ~1% of users creating content with any substance, let alone quality.

obituary_latte 15y ago
Well, technically, doing those things (re-tweeting, posting links, etc.) creates content... Substance and quality notwithstanding.
- icebraining 15y ago
  It creates data, but I'm not sure if it can be called content.
  - kruhft 15y ago
    The aggregation of data can be considered content, such as the yellow pages or delicious, which, I think can also be copyrighted. So if your intent is to collect links to content, I would say technically, you are creating content. Look at this site, at least at the top level.
    - ilkandi 15y ago
      I don't consider the Yellow Pages to be content, just hard-to-gather data. For this site, the top level is data which points to content. The comments are the content, for me.
      - hackinthebochs 15y ago
        Aggregating data is content if the data in aggregate has more value than the pieces do independently. Isn't that essentially what all content is: a new organization of pre-existing data that has more value than the pieces separately? A song is a particular ordered collection of sounds that has more value than its individual pieces.
- adamc 15y ago
  If posting links was enough to "create content", we could automate a vast increase in content. Of course, that's nonsense. What creates content, arguably, is posting the links in a useful context (and something as simple as knowing your friend likes these might create the context). I think that value is real (and is reflected in services like Twitter), but there are some stark limits because my time/interest in consuming that kind of content is limited. Services that help me navigate the sea of data to effectively find the pearls of interest will have value. But just providing more ocean to search through is of limited direct interest...
  - HPBEggo 15y ago
    This. Simply posting something that already exists, be it through a Tweet or a link or what-have-you, does not create anything of value. However, creating said link with a short description or within the context of a greater article does create value. It's not a huge amount of value, but I know that I, personally, am much more likely to examine a link posted by someone if they explain what it is about and that explanation is both interesting and relevant.
haunted 15y ago
Agreed. Sites like Tumblr and Twitter are mostly full of people reblogging and retweeting other people's posts, and the source posts are often things that have been posted before. Many Internet users have short memories, and even shorter attention spans. The Internet is increasing full of people linking to content, instead of creating it, and there's a fine line between "curating" links and simply spamming them.
joebadmo 15y ago
A single instance of creating a link to a post that exists is probably not content creation. But curating an interesting/topical stream of content surely is. As discussed in other threads [0], Letters of Note, for example, provides a context for its instances of curated content that provide a valuable resource for someone interested in the subject matter. And let's not forget that Google is an example of curation that provides immense value. Google search doesn't provide any new information, but it surfaces existing information in a context that's valuable. [0]: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3534574 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3534574

obituary_latte 15y ago

Well, technically, doing those things (re-tweeting, posting links, etc.) creates content... Substance and quality notwithstanding.

icebraining 15y ago
It creates data, but I'm not sure if it can be called content.
- kruhft 15y ago
  The aggregation of data can be considered content, such as the yellow pages or delicious, which, I think can also be copyrighted. So if your intent is to collect links to content, I would say technically, you are creating content. Look at this site, at least at the top level.
  - ilkandi 15y ago
    I don't consider the Yellow Pages to be content, just hard-to-gather data. For this site, the top level is data which points to content. The comments are the content, for me.
    - hackinthebochs 15y ago
      Aggregating data is content if the data in aggregate has more value than the pieces do independently. Isn't that essentially what all content is: a new organization of pre-existing data that has more value than the pieces separately? A song is a particular ordered collection of sounds that has more value than its individual pieces.
adamc 15y ago
If posting links was enough to "create content", we could automate a vast increase in content. Of course, that's nonsense. What creates content, arguably, is posting the links in a useful context (and something as simple as knowing your friend likes these might create the context). I think that value is real (and is reflected in services like Twitter), but there are some stark limits because my time/interest in consuming that kind of content is limited. Services that help me navigate the sea of data to effectively find the pearls of interest will have value. But just providing more ocean to search through is of limited direct interest...
- HPBEggo 15y ago
  This. Simply posting something that already exists, be it through a Tweet or a link or what-have-you, does not create anything of value. However, creating said link with a short description or within the context of a greater article does create value. It's not a huge amount of value, but I know that I, personally, am much more likely to examine a link posted by someone if they explain what it is about and that explanation is both interesting and relevant.

haunted 15y ago

Agreed. Sites like Tumblr and Twitter are mostly full of people reblogging and retweeting other people's posts, and the source posts are often things that have been posted before. Many Internet users have short memories, and even shorter attention spans. The Internet is increasing full of people linking to content, instead of creating it, and there's a fine line between "curating" links and simply spamming them.

joebadmo 15y ago

A single instance of creating a link to a post that exists is probably not content creation. But curating an interesting/topical stream of content surely is. As discussed in other threads [0], Letters of Note, for example, provides a context for its instances of curated content that provide a valuable resource for someone interested in the subject matter. And let's not forget that Google is an example of curation that provides immense value. Google search doesn't provide any new information, but it surfaces existing information in a context that's valuable. [0]: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3534574 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3534574