I wrote sometime ago about how all-in-one signage displays would eventually be the norm. This idea may somewhat negate the fact that a player is still present, but we can't forget the importance of the digital sign player. It is in keeping the player in the forefront of our minds that I craft this post. Many electronic sign operators take a "install it and leave it" approach to their network. They like to create the content, install the display and the player and then walk away, but this is not the best methodology for management. Displays and players if they are to perform to their utmost potential need monitoring and regular "check-ups."

Monitoring Player Performance

Some digital signage software applications allow, not only for player tracking and health monitoring, but also proof of play reporting--giving content managers a way to judge whether content was played on a "running" display and how often said content made its appearance. If there is anything worse than poor content, that's no content at all (well, I guess that's not always true, but it's certainly a good generality). So, when a player goes down, it is detrimental in several ways:

1. It hurts the network being served. The network where the content is being played is certainly effected by player outages. It's costly for reputation. It's costs monetarily.

2. It hurts advertisers, if there are any, displaying their content on the screen. This can hit the pocketbook and create some pretty angry customers if you are running an ad network.

3. It's detrimental to the venue's reputation. I was in an airport doing some traveling sometime ago. There was a large digital sign network installed throughout the terminals. The only working signage available was the signage displaying the arrivals and departures. All the blank screens really looked ridiculous. I'm not sure what the issue was there, but it certainly was not what I would call a "high-quality" network.

4. It hurts the reputation of the industry. A failure for one of us is a failure for us all.

What to do about it...

The mantra, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" could adequately apply here. But what do we do when something goes wrong and we're 3,000 km from the player? Apart from getting an actual human being to check the device, we can start by attempting to perform a VNC (Virtual Network Compute) remote desktop into the device. If this does not help us detect the problem, then it is prudent to have someone take a look at the unit. There are any number of scenarios that could have taken place with the sign player. It could have been kifed by some derelict delinquent, someone may have bumped the installation, a power surge could have taken place (hopefully protection was implemented to prevent this one), or perhaps the player simply gave up the ghost. Whatever the cause of the players failure or demise, having it down for too long is costly--especially if revenue is dependent on content. Content dependence is most readily evident in the case of advertising networks.

I know overuse of the aphorisms probably is unneeded, but I feel like blurting another: "an ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure." In the case of player monitoring, this is certainly true. It often costs networks much more (see the 4 points above) for networks to revive a dead player than it ever does to prevent it by putting the proper safeguards in place.

While some may say user-generated content is out of control and taking over, I disagree. It's like some people look at UGC as a new, clever idea or something. Having users generate content is not new. It's been around since the good ole' days of newspaper editorials. Once the web came about, it certainly has increased. Blogs have virtually taken over cyberspace. When I search something online now, often I am taken to some random and obscure blog or forum whose content was created by an external user. Now that we have the time-waster known as Twitter for microblogging, we can now get "users'" information without even blinking--with updates straight to our mobile phones.

But when is UGC appropriate and not? Where do we draw the line between the appropriate and inappropriate? How can user-generated content be used as a useful tool? What problems does UGC cause and what problems does UGC solve? When it comes to user-generated content on digital signage, what mediums work the best? YouTube? Hulu? MySpace? Twitter? Mobile marketing of some sort? Hopefully, we will address these questions as this post progresses.

Benefits of User-Generated Content

Allowing for others to generate content has many benefits--regardless of what medium we're using. Some of them may include:

1. Users feel akin and part of the overall experience. When you're locked out of a discussion, when you feel you have something to say that would most likely contribute to a more beneficial conclusion, it can be frustrating. I'm sure many can assuredly say this about politics--regardless of your "leanings." The same basic idea follows in UGC. When content can be created by the user, they feel they have some stake in the entirety of the experience. Think about Wikipedia for instance. I realize much of Wikipedia's content has been created by Wiki professionals, but how many of you have actually edited a mistake on Wikipedia? It's gratifying to be part of the contributory audience.

2. Some of the content creation headache is taken off the shoulders of those whose job it rightfully is. Content creation can take a great deal of work. Anyone who has tried to create content knows this. Those who realize the importance of interesting, refreshing and engaging content realize not only how important it is, but how time consuming refreshing said content is and will continue to be. When users are creating the content, there is somewhat of a respite for content creators.

3. Content will include much more variety, flare, and interestingness. This can be seen as a perfect example of two heads are better than one. As the size of the content contribution audience grows, the variety also expands accordingly. Text-to-screen gaming on digital signage in Times Square can be much more effective for getting content variety than something similar installed at a local hardware store.

4. The content will be more sticky. Think for a moment about the editorials section of the newspaper. Who does not enjoy reading the editorials section? Sometimes we read it because there is some on-going discussion taking place, while other times we participate because it's unique enough to grab our attention. Think of some of the largest websites on the internet. Sites like Wikipedia, Vimeo, and YouTube take advantage of the principle of sticky UGC.

5. Having users generate the content can help with metrics, measurement, and targeting. I will discuss this more in detail later in the post.

Negative Issues Relating to UGC

While UGC can be very beneficial, in many instances, it can pose quite a problem--especially in digital sign displays.

1. The issue of a filter. User-generated filtering for user-generated fluff is often very difficult.

2. Content quality can be down-graded. Not only can it be downgraded, sometimes content can become overtly inappropriate. And those who truly know content know that good content is what separates good networks from bad networks. Regardless of what type of engine you have under the hood, if it don't look good it's worthless. Sign networks need to think of their digital signage more like a horse and pony show, rather than a day at the tracks. This is where user-generated content--unfortunately--can fall painfully short.

3. It's seen as less reputable. Rightfully so. UGC could just have easily been created by a 15-year old hacker as it could by a grizzled college professor. You may never know. I remember reading an article a couple of years ago speaking on this very dilemma. It referenced literally thousands of Wiki articles which had been created by just a couple of people without college degrees. While Wikipedia has done a good job in recent years at mitigating this issue, it still crops up now and again. Similarly, UGC on a digital signage display can be quite the headache

4. Rights. This is somewhat of a subcategory of the filtering issue. Content rights can often be ignored when external users are generating the digital signage content. This was as much as an issue with YouTube as it is with place-based operators today. It is always a struggle to ensure credit is given where credit is due.

UGC and Electronic Signs

The cross-over is somewhat plain between how UGC effects other forms of media as well, including digital signage. There are some differences which need divulged, however. The first type of user-generated content for DOOH that comes to mind is the integration between it and the Internet. When an electronic display can show UGC that has been generated using some sort of Internet portal like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook etc. then content creation is not the issue--content filtering is.

Other forms of UGC  on a digital display could include content created using a mobile device. This could include a simple SMS text message or something more dynamic and interesting created on a smartphone like a iPhone or Droid. This content tends to be a bit less quality than other forms of content, but it can engage bystanders in the display. Engagement of this degree can also be jointly coupled with "calls-to-action" and ROI measurement heretofore untapped.

Other applications for UGC can also include interactive gaming using mobile phones. While the content in this instance is not created using the mobile device, it certainly does allow for interactivity with the display.

UGC and Metrics

While I mentioned metrics already, I think it vital to delve into this issue more granularly. User generated content on digital signage is something that can greatly enhance a network operator's ability to measure the metrics of the display. It needs to remain evidently clear that while interactivity can help enhance measurement, it certainly does not mean that the ROI of your digital signage network will be greatly improved. Hence, the conundrum here is this: does it make sense to pour more money into your digital display just for some interactive feature if this feature is not going to give more return?

I hate to say it, but this--as always--is dependent on what your objective is. If you are more concerned with increasing ambiance or giving people a cool factor, then it is certainly worth the wow--even if the "wow" costs a great deal more. However, if you are doing this on a network of scale that will cost your organization bundles more for something that cannot be measured in dollars and cents, then it makes no sense. Making the choice on whether to use a user-generated display or not may be highly dependent on whether a pilot outperforms with UGC vs. a standard digital signage display. If that is the case, then UGC all around!

There were a lot of things going down at the Digital Signage Expo both on and off the field. This post is probably going to just have a few 30,000 foot view thoughts. The show itself is maturing. This is our third show now and things seem to be calming down (expect for the industry drama which I’ve discussed a bit below). As exhibitors go, there was much of the same.

Cool Stuff

The VUKUNET concept is so cool it’ll make your brain explode. It is perhaps the missing link in connecting potential digital out of home advertisers with real buyers. The way the system integrates freely with nearly any solution in the marketplace is simply brilliant. Two gold stars for the mastermind that developed this pleasant morsel. I’ve had exposure to the system previously, but after speaking about the potential and goals for the project, it was all I could do to stop my brain from frying.

There’s probably not too much new to report on the hardware side of the picture. Standard were the glasses and glasses free 3D displays—pretty standard. The large format LED, LCD, and interactive people were present. Christie Microtiles are about what I expected them to be. Their cost is a somewhat prohibitive for many, but for those looking for ambiance in a unique way, they certainly offer that “pop” that some may be looking for. They lived up to the hype.

Attendors (Exhibitors) and Attendees

The attendance for the show certainly seemed up from last year’s event. No bare patches to be seen on the tradeshow floor. Much of this probably has to do with an economy on-the-mend. Hardware and software vendors still seemed standard. Some of the exhibitors who were of interest and seemed a bit newer to the industry included a few content providers and implementation organizations.

Overall, exhibitors at the event certainly were more honed. Smaller companies wishing to make their way within the industry have slowly been vanishing into oblivion. This fact was painfully evident at the show: more of the industry’s true players were poking around.

I was able to have some great and productive chats with some impactful industry professionals. Interesting to get individual perspectives on things and have some time to discuss future movement. While there, I also saw and spoke with some of the old Helius crew. Most of them I was unable to speak with at all because they were too busy giving demos the couple times I stopped by.

More Industry Drama

For some, following the digital signage industry is probably like watching a soap opera they cannot get enough of. For many, it’s the soap opera they cannot get away from. Those who have been following digital signage news lately know somewhat of the tradeshow and industry non-profit drama that taking place.

Regardless of whether or not you’re a part of any of the industry trade organizations, exhibit at any of the industry tradeshows, or are going at it a bit rogue, much of what has happened and is happening is a bit disappointing. I’m not one to generally point fingers.

Many of the industry’s organizations—under the guise of industry promulgation and professionalism—seem to be exhibiting just the opposite in their spirit of competition. The activity here is not in the least bit surprising, given the simply cutthroat nature of things in digital signage. Treating things like a zero-sum game exhibits a self-fulfilling prophecy-like result—wherein you receive exactly what you expect.

The changes in technology and organization within the industry are significant and will probably have a great impact on some, while others may never feel or experience any change.  I’m interested to see what happens as people begin to choose sides—in organization and exhibition. I’m sure it may continue to get ugly. I’ll do my best to stay out and stay away.