People have been talking forever about how social media is killing traditional print media, this is not breaking news. But from working in this space for as long as I have I can say many news sources have found hope, or at least spotted a pin hole of light at the end of the tunnel. Most major new sources I speak to, have embraced social media and are now finding traction in that space and beginning to right the ship.

News sources are using readers to provide updates, additional information, pictures, video, and most importantly, giving every single reader a voice. This has lead to increased readership online, which has lead to increased revenue, which has lead to more smiles on the faces of newspaper owners. Hooray, right?

Not so fast. Newspapers around the world that have been successful in implementing social media and UGC, and are now faced with an equally daunting task – how to manage all this new content.

At first the job usually falls to the online editor; once he/she can’t handle the workload often journalists are asked to moderate comments related to their own stories. Once it becomes too much of a burden for the journalists, other staff is brought in assist in the moderation of content – tech support, interns, friends and family, the janitor, they guy that parks cars, the water cooler guy, etc. Eventually the decision is made to either shut down the comments – as one of the America’s largest media organizations has recently done – or find a solution.

So now, newspapers that embraced UGC instead of fighting it have found themselves at a crossroads. They’re asking, “What’s next? We have all this content coming in and it’s completely unmanageable. Our staff, previously hired to write and publish copy, is being inundated with work that a year ago did not exist. Did we make the right decision in embracing this two-headed monster?”

Relax, take a deep breath. I will shed new light on this problem with the same advice I overheard my father receive one day at his welding shop.

It was a hot day and the water had stopped running in the shop. My father had traced the problem back to a faulty pump. As he was working on the pump a farmer came in with an urgent repair job. My father, with pain in his eyes, said to the farmer, “I’m sorry, but I have to get this pump fixed. I will get to your job as soon as I am done.” The farmer said to him in a calm voice, “You’re a welder, I came here because you can do something better than I can. Fixing the pump is a plumber’s job, call a plumber and let him do what he does best.”

My father smiled, put down his wrench, and picked up the phone. Within an hour the pump was fixed and the farmer was satisfied. My father had made enough money in doing the repair for the farmer to cover the cost of the plumber and then some. We learned that day that although my father could have saved money by fixing the pump himself the opportunity for greater revenue would have been lost.

So, my advice to newspapers and other media outlets when it comes to handling the issue of UGC: You concentrate on doing what you do best – getting the news out for thousands of readers every day, and let a professional moderation service do what they do best – moderate online content.