User-Generated Content

What Does User-Generated Content Mean?

User-generated content (UGC) refers to any digital content that is produced and shared by end users of an online service or website. This includes any content that is shared or produced by users that are members or subscribers of the service, but it is not produced by the website or service itself.

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User-generated content is also known as consumer-generated media (CGM) or conversational media.

Techopedia Explains User-Generated Content

User-generated content is generally considered a form of conversational media, meaning that the content leads toward initiating a conversation. In fact, the conversation that follows from a UGC is a form of UGC itself. The UGC produced by users can be viewed, consumed and shared by other users of the website or service.

Some forms of UGC include:

  • Images
  • Videos
  • Status updates/tweets
  • Infographics
  • Comments
  • Blogs
  • Online ads

Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are popular social platforms that work and operate mostly or entirely on user-generated content. Online forums, classified websites and product review websites also rely on UGC.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…