User-Generated Content / User Engagement with DH Projects

We added a feature to our recent yearbook site at the University of Idaho (www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/gem/) that allows users to digitally “sign” a yearbook.  We released the site in September and just got our first signature yesterday. As you might guess, we expected a bit more engagement.

There are many reasons why the feature has not been that successful, prime among these being that the feature resides below the fold on the yearbook pages, but I am wondering if/what others experiences with user generated content has been like and if anyone has seen any trends with user engagement with DH projects generally.

On a personal note, this is my first THATCamp, and I’m really looking forward to meeting and talking to you all.

Categories: General, Session Proposals |

About dbecker

I am the digital initiatives librarian at the University of Idaho. My background, research interests, and general obsession is in contemporary writing (poetry, specifically). My library research is also focused on the writing world, looking at the personal digital archiving practices of contemporary writers. As a digital librarian at the University of Idaho, I manage, design, and maintain our digital collections and try to stay on top of our digital archives.