User Generated Content Database

I once found a link in the Revver forums to the ugcDb. I was told I should register there. I followed the link, but couldn't easily figure out what it was and how it worked, so I left it, thinking I'd check it out sometime later.

As it turned out, 'later' was now. I registered yesterday and that already made it clearer to me what it's for.

First, the name. User Generated Content Database. Is that a Content Database generated by users? Yes and no. Mainly no though. It's a Database containing User Generated Content. Think about YouTube. The site itself is quite small really, just a few pages. But it's the content that makes it popular and that content is generated by users.

But one person may also have a Blogger account and a deviantART account. Of course people often use the same username, but there are most likely more people called Daedalus out there. So, if you want to know, how do you find out what one person actually made and what he appeared in?

So there's the ugcDb, which links all the accounts for one person together and even lists what the person did for the content. For example, I can appear as my avatar Daedalus Young in a photo made by Torley. I personally am in no way connected to Torley's flickr account, so I did not create his content. Rather, I am an actor in his content. So I can now be linked to that photo. Anybody interested in me (I know, I know, but it's a nice fantasy to think someone actually is) can look me up and see not only my mad art and video skillz, they can also see I can pose an avatar in the 3D Virtual World of Second Life, owned by Linden Lab, but Content generated by Users (disclaimer in the left sidebar plzkthx).

In this way, the ugcDb is much like IMDb, only not for Movies, but for online content. I think in this world, focussing more on the internet, with things like Creative Commons becoming more popular, user generated content becoming more professional (for example lonelygirl15, also on ugcDb), this database could become a very useful resource.

Their search could be improved though, if you search for my full name, I'm not found, search for my first name only to find me.

If you want, you can add yourself, but it's also possible to add other people (and works). I currently only added myself, I think it's up to everyone to add themselves. What if I add someone who doesn't want to be added?

Oh, and the cool part is you can put up a button on your blog or site :D See: