This post is broken up in to three parts:
- Check your content
- If you request user input and use their submitted content, inform the user
- Be clear about who you are
Check your content
I was pointed towards the visa.com/go campaign which integrates photographs submitted via Flickr.
Before looking at the photographs themselves, being Finnish myself I was surprised to see a Finnish flag appear on screen, but I wondered what the “HW” letters referred to:
Finnish flag on the visa.com/go site
Clicking on the image, the screen zoomed in to show a big Finnish flag which was then replaced with a statistic about Hawaii. Huh?
Finland does not equal Hawaii
Trying the “see another” link I was shown other flags and statistics which matched up correctly. Finland appears to have suffered from a graphic and content mix-up.
Most sites have some errors or typos, but on a site that heavily relies on user generated content and appears to only have a small number of constant elements, this error should be avoidable during a review process. When this campaign revolves around the theme of the world, a mislabeling of this sort feels quite significant.
If you request user input and use their submitted content, inform the user
This campaign encourages people to contribute to a Visa sponsored Flickr group so that a person’s photo might be used on the visa.com/go site. A discussion has begun on the Flickr group about the notification process for people whose photos are chosen – Visa (or their representative) admitted that their intention was not to notify people, however after several other people chimed in to the discussion, Visa (or their representative) has changed their mind stating that they are now looking in to notifications.
When people take time out to specifically contribute to a web site or campaign and their content requires moderation/selection, providing a small communication on acceptance is important to make people feel that their contribution was considered and the brand values their input. In Visa’s case, a note to the photographer via FlickrMail when a photo is used could be a simple addition to the selection process.
I look forward to seeing how Visa tackles this request from the contributors.
Be clear about who you are
The person who appears to be managing the Visa Flickr group has the rather odd username “visabrandakqa”. Although the Flickr group shows a note that “This group is sponsored by Visa” allowing people to see that it is an official brand channel, the visabrandakqa has no similar label.
“Sponsored users” might not be possible in Flickr at this stage, however visiting visabrandakqa’s profile sheds no further light on who this “person” is. The profile is empty apart from one contact and links to a couple of groups – one being the Visa campaign and another for “Land Rover Life” (how is that related to Visa?!). Viewing the profile creates confusion about who is running the Visa group.
The profile could be used to reassure people curious about the promotion that this is a representative of Visa (or the agency behind the campaign) and to further promote Visa’s Flickr activity. I feel that leaving the profile blank is a missed opportunity to encourage participation.
Visa's Flickr group administrator profile