The Next Generation of Content Acquisition

Helium (Nov 9th Link is now fixed) is a great example of citizen journalism, consumer generated content and crowdsourcing. The concept is simple: Publishers will post requests for content based on their specific needs, this is then put out to the community which contributes, edits and votes on the top articles. The publisher will then review the top submissions and when they choose one pay for the content.

Based on the pricing I was seeing and the quality of the content this looks like a great evolution. I especially like the fact that it is the community itself that ensures the content it is producing is of the best value for the publisher.

The other part of the model is that Helium rewards the top contributors of content with a sharing of the revenue they receive from adsense, which drives entrenchment and commitment to the community.

They just had their first birthday and it looks like they have come a long way. It will be interesting to see how this continues to develop and evolve. It will also be exciting to see how this model translates into other spaces.