Hacking User ContributionsHow to get
users to contribute on your platformImage: Petr Jan Juračka Sangeet Paul Choudary

User contribution platformsrely on users
to create valueImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Hence, a platform where usersdon’t
contribute is a Ghost Town Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Credits: Creative Commons/Flickr

So how do you get
users tocontribute on your platform? 7 questions to help you hack User Contributions Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

1 WHY DO USERS CREATE/CONTRIBUTE
ONLINE? Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

INSTAGRAM Create & share cool
photos QUORA Share my knowledge Self-expressionImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

Self-promotion TWITTER YOUTUBE Develop a
Broadcast following myself Change.org Promote my cause Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Everyone’s an artist on the
internet Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

2 ARE YOU PROVIDING TOOLS?
OR PIPES? OR BOTH? Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Platforms may provide creation/ infrastructural
tools IFTTT VIMEO INSTAGRAM Ability to Online HD Video Filters to combine existing hosting transform services into a infrastructure photos new one Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Platforms may provide pipes to
a specific audience DRIBBBLE YOUTUBE TWITTER Access to review Access to Ability to build a of creations by community of following peers video viewers Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

TOOLS + PIPES A win
in the social era INSTAGRAM HIPSTAMATIC Filters + Ability to Started with Filters to transform photos VS. share creations on other social networks Platforms that provide both tools and pipes offer a better value propositionImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

3 2. HOW ARE YOU
MAKING THE CREATIVE PROCESS EASIER THAN EXISTING OPTIONS? HOW ARE YOU MAKING THE CREATIVE PROCESS EASIER THAN EXISTING OPTIONS? Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Powerpoint requires higher skills Higher
skills required = Higher friction = Lower usageImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

Instagram lowers the skills needed
to create cool photos Lower skills required = Lower friction = Higher usageImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

4 3. IS THERE A
ROBUST CURATION MODEL TO SEPARATE THE BEST FROM THE REST? IS THERE A ROBUST CURATION MODEL TO SEPARATE THE BEST FROM THE REST? Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Algorithmic Curation • Content sorted
and ranked through rule- based automation • Most scalable model of curation • However, potential for false positives • Scale carefully, ‘learn’ and optimize with social and editorial inputs. Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Social Curation • Community provided
with tools (voting, rating, flagging etc.) for input on quality of the creation • Aggregation of inputs used to sort and rank creations and determine relevance Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Editorial Curation • Manual curation
by in-house editors • Helps to understand patterns that can be automated and scaled • Important during early days of the platform Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

5 IS THERE AN EQUAL-ACCESS
PATH TO THE TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD? Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

6 IS THERE AN INCENTIVE
BEYOND COMMUNITY RECOGNITION? Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Community recognition + Monetization potentialImage:
Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

Community recognition + Portfolio Hosting/
MonetizationImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

Community recognition + Desirable job
listingsImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

7 HOW WILL YOU MAXIMIZE
THE NUMBER OF CREATORS? Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

Incentivize contributions initially YouTube, famously,
used contests to seed initial creation Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

Over time, convert consumers to
creators Converting searchers to question creators A user is prompted to add a question if she fails to find it while searching.Image: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

However, to get it started,
you might have to... Fake It To Make It Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

• Reddit was initially seeded
with fake profiles posting links to simulate activity. • The links being posted were the kind of content the founders wanted to see on the site over time. • Quality of the initial content also created a culture of good content in the community. • MegaUpload sourced popular content (often copyrighted) and hosted it to generate initial traction. • Being copyrighted, the content was often such that couldn’t be found elsewhere. • Pirated content led to strong initial traction despite MegaUpload being a late entrant. Source: The Platform Thinking BlogImage: Creative Commons/Flickr

In summary... Understand motivations of
creators Structure Create relevant enabling incentives technology Maximize number of creatorsImage: Creative Commons/Flickr Source: The Platform Thinking Blog

For more on platformsand internet
businessmodels, click below... The Platform Thinking Blog