Sometime this weekend, I will be posting an observation of how I believe Facebook is helping to kill the phrase “user-generated content.” In the mean time, I noticed that Jon Udell and Jimmy Gutterman are discussing their dislike of the word “user” and “generated” and “content.” As I’ve covered my disdain for those words in depth and will be touching on it again in my post about Facebook, I’ll skip my typical rant at this point.
However, this morning, I also run across a phrase that actually is worse than “user content” in a NYTimes.com article about John Byrne absorbing duties as web czar (his title remains executive editor of Business Week magazine) at BusinessWeek.com. According to the Times, “The Web site plans to include more video, audio and user input, Mr. Byrne said.”
If given the choice between being a generator or an inputter, well, call me the generator. Of course, I’d rather write, or photograph, or share, or comment, or connect. To be honest, whenever I generate or input, it makes me tired.
