Mining Gold from Chatter: How Valuable is User-Generated Knowledge in Our Forums?

[JoelR]

Every discussion, debate, and dialogue potentially holds a treasure trove of knowledge. But how often do we stop to consider the value of these user-generated discussions? Are we overlooking a goldmine of insights and information that could enrich our community and beyond?

• How do you assess the quality and value of knowledge generated in user discussions within your community? Are there specific indicators or metrics you use to identify truly valuable contributions?
• In what ways have you successfully harnessed and curated this user-generated knowledge to benefit the wider community or to inform decision-making processes?
• Do you face challenges in filtering and refining the vast amount of information generated in discussions to extract actionable insights or meaningful knowledge?

The collective wisdom of our members is often an underutilized asset. Whether it's pinpointing emerging trends, solving complex problems, or simply gathering diverse perspectives, the knowledge shared in our forums can be incredibly powerful. Let's explore strategies for effectively curating and leveraging this wealth of information. Share your experiences, successes, and even the hurdles you've faced in this endeavor. Together, we can unlock the full potential of our community's collective intelligence. 🌐💡🔍

[Kane]

If user generated content did not have value, wikipedia wouldn't be the world's most-used encyclopedia. If user-generated content did not have any value, Facebook wouldn't be world's biggest social networking site. The value of user generated content likes on the kind of platform you have created.

[Nomad]

I started my online journey by writing on a user-generated content site. I started using user-generated content sites long before I started using social networking sites (which are also user-generated content sites, though). I even attended courses to build my skills on user-generated content sites. I see a lot of value in user-generated content sites. While I have not been very successful, I have created and managed a lot of user-generated content sites like blogs and forums. 

[Shortie]

Many of those who lead online communities tend to overlook user-generated content and just how much it can make a difference to their community and not only the quality of content it brings but also the knowledge it brings as well. 

If you are able to encourage your members to post content then I would highly suggest it. 

[JoelR]

The specific questions asked in the OP have to do with organizing user generated content, and that's hard.  When you have thousands of threads and tens of thousands of posts, how do you neatly organize them around certain topics or trends? 

Usually we ask authors to pre-define any organization in advance (tags, prefixes, etc).  But that places the burden on the author.  There really needs to be an automation of some sort to post-define the organization after the topic is written.  

[Maria]

If you have created boards for different categories, and divided categories into sub categories, it is easy to organize your content. You can ask your users to post on appropriate category. If they post on wrong category, you can move them to the right category.