Use Case Description – What happens?
Activity – Support user resource selection through recommendations generated from a wide range of activity data and / or direct user contribution. This is a value added use case that builds on an initial motivation for aggregation, for example to represent a valued theme. This approach raises curatorial issues regarding responsibility for oversight and preservation of user contributions such as comments, discussions and ratings. Recommender serices form a key part of commercial and webscale platforms such as Amazon, eMusic, MySpace and Youtube.
Volumes – Whilst volumes will be low in proportion to the underlying aggregation, there is the potential for user contribution to take off in the cases of popular themes
Actors – This involves the aggregator and user contributors but not the data owner
Data involved – An appropriate combination of comments, memories, discussions and ratings plus automated usage statistics (perhaps based on searches or downloads, depending on the nature of the aggregation). However contribution may alternatively be directed to a higher level through such as a collection level Facebook page.
Workflows – The aggregation will be perpetually open for contribution (in the accepted Web 2.0 style); contributions may optionally be mediated before publication, which would represent a significant workflow; contributions will need to be preserved within aggregation update processes.
Current Examples – Amazon and eMusic in the commercial world
Intended Benefits – What is the business case?
Data Owner – Places records in a more dynamic environment, though quality of contributions may be regarded as an issue
Aggregator – Contribution opens up the potential for greater amplification across the potential community, though this comes with responsibilities
End User – Contribution is an attractive give and take for increasing numbers of users; it will however require perceived value in the platform, the focal topic and the community (Facebook pages being a prime example)
