23 Mar 2016 | By: Pascal Vleugels

Vision on User Generated Content

Until now, plaece has focused on unlocking (editorial) data collected from tourism organisations. This includes restaurants, routes and links to the Dutch Database for Tourism, Recreation and Culture (NDTRC). The next step is to collect data from end users and visitors of the various website(s).

The plaece entry tool (plaece.base) is suitable for entering and distributing tourist (public) data. The data can be read through an API and used for all kinds of purposes (displaying data on a website, app, kiosk). Currently, editors (of cities, regions and provinces) enter the majority of the data. It is also possible for entrepreneurs to customise their own data in plaece.base. This allows them to keep their own POI detail page up-to-date.

To make the input tool also suitable for website visitors, an entirely new interface will be made available. This makes it easy to create and submit User Generated Content.

What is User Generated Content?

By User Generated Content, we mean everything that can be submitted by an end user. What is unique about User Generated Content is...the User. The person who generates the content and makes it available. Without a User, there is no content. This is why some fundamental decisions are made:

• The content is always provided with the corresponding user
• The user always has a profile (this can be a public profile page or a minimal anonymous set of data, e.g.: first name + age)
• The user data are always sent anonymously in the API (first name + age), so they can never be traced back to a unique person. (The user is known in the CMS, so can be shown as a reference on plaece websites).
• User Generated Content can never be modified by editors (you can de-publish and delete, but never edit content).

How can a user create content?

By means of a login form on the website, users can create an account. With this profile, the activated User Generated Content modules can be used. These include:

• Submit tips
• Leave a review
• Saving favourites

Depending on the chosen functionality, users can submit their content. At that moment, it depends on the editors whether the content is published immediately or needs to be approved first.

Logic and data storage

In terms of logic, we make a strict distinction between public data (review, tip) and user data (profile, contact details). We handle all user management and logging in via the chosen Content Management System. All personal information is also stored in the CMS. Because the user can be used in various capacities, we use the generic term 'person' to store the data. At the front end of the website, the 'person' can be given a different name (insider, expert, local, etc.).

All content that is generated (review, tip) is stored as open data in plaece.base. This makes it possible to unlock reviews from your own platform to others via the API. In addition, User Generated Content can also be related to other UGC items or other item types (locations/events).

Because all data is stored in the database, statistics and reports can be generated later. Think for example of the most popular locations.

Which modules are we working on

User Login

• Forgotten password function
• Create account/registration form
• Personal dashboard after login

Tips

• Add tip (via end users & editorial)
• Tips overview
  Overview of all tips provided, with filters and categories
• Tip detail page
• Tips page section
  Display a selection of tips on a content page based on filters and categories
• Tips nearby
  Show tips nearby (based on GPS or a selected POI)

Favourites

• Favourites overview page
• Editing favourites
• Share favourites

Reviews

• Add review (via end users & editorial)
• Reviews on POI detail page
  What are users saying about this location?

People

• People overview
  Overview of all users with a public profile page, featuring filters and categories
• Person detail page
• People management (cms)