Consumer generated content: Posterous makes it easy to source the wisdom of the crowd

Posted by: Krishna De | Posted on: August 30th, 2009 | 5 Comments | Posted in: Business blogging, Communication, Engagement, Recommended resources, Social media, Social networking, Uncategorized

I was reading a Tweet from Steve Rubel which directed me to an example of a newspaper in the US using Posterous the free blogging platform (that I am posting to here) where you can post using email.

The Austin American Statesman ‘Weather Watch’ page says:

This has been a summer we won’t likely forget — thanks to the record-setting heat. Today, we get something of a break and, for the third consecutive day, should stay under 100 degrees. We’re expecting folks to get out and take advantage of the relative cool.

Help us document a “day in the sun” by snapping a photo today and emailing it to post@austinheat.posterous.com.

The subject line of your email becomes the headline on your photo. Include some description in the email text, if you like. To have your photo considered for print publication, be sure to credit the photographer.

View your photo (once it’s approved) and the photos of others at austinheat.posterous.com, a blog that we’ve set up just for this heat project.

You can find the Austin Heat Posterous blog HERE.

You can also follow the Austin Heat photo blog via Twitter.
On the Posterous blog for Austin Heat it says:

We’re zeroing in on the all-time Austin record for 100+ degree days. The record, which has stood since 1925, is 70 days. The Statesman has set up this blog to give you a chance to record what you did during Austin’s blazing hot summer.

Just e-mail a picture of what you are doing today in the heat and a short description to post@austinheat.posterous.com. (If you want your picture to be considered for print publication in the Statesman, you must include the name of the person who took the photo.)

This is a terrific example of making it easy to enable content to be sourced from your community with them simply having to send an email. And with the cross posting ability, you could also share the photo’s into your Facebook page or Flickr – just be sure that you make it clear with your contributors what your plans are for using their content.

Can you think of ways you could use Posterous to crowd source ideas and information?

Posted via web from Krishna De: Insights From Ireland On Digital Marketing, Social Media And Entrepreneurship