November 27, 2009 by James Oliver
For the last eight or so years Wikipedia has been a shining example of the positive side of the internet, not only due to its commitment to educating the world population for free but also as one of the best web 2.0 case studies imaginable. The site showed us exactly what is possible when people get user generated content right, spawning thousands of imitators in the process.
Now however, the site is experiencing the first bumps in its illustrious road and it’s all down to a lack of active editors, it seems the U in ‘UGC’ is starting to fail them. Research indicates that in the first quarter of this year 49’000 volunteers went dead, as in stopped actively contributing to the site.
This is obviously a big problem for Wikipedia – the site’s main strength is the willingness of its volunteers to get involved in the running of the site. Some however go one step further, talking about a new phase in the evolution of the internet as people move beyond user generated content. As always with vague statements like that, only time will tell.
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