Why should companies that manage their own UGC care about truckers and slow welding shops? I would say most of the time they shouldn’t, but for the next 500 words or so it’s okay to care.

A few years back my father was going through a lean summer, traditionally this is when he would generate the majority of his revenue. Being a smart small business owner he saw that the landscape around his business was changing – people were having less and less need for a neighbourhood welding shop. He needed to adapt and add new revenue streams.

My father used to be a trucker and still enjoyed working on trucks long afterward, and because of that we did a lot of welding related work on semi-trucks already. So, when he began doing semi-truck and trailer safeties - it seemed like the natural progression of the business. If the trucks had small repairs needed to get them to pass safety we would do them in-house, fixing; lights, wiring, brake shoes and drums, airlines, etc. Although this wasn’t super complex, it did require many new tools that the welding shop didn’t have. As well, a knowledge of new systems and it required that the staff learn a new skill set without a whole lot more financial compensation.

One day a trucker came to the shop and asked if he could get his engine overhauled. This is when my father had to step back and ask himself, “What would this mean to my business?” He thought, “I’m not really familiar with this type of work, but with some training or consulting I could be – that’s a plus. The investment alone in tools, training and extra labour would take years to recoup – that’s a big minus.”
In his mind he boiled it down to this simple thought – is it worth my investment of time, energy and labour for a few more dollars a year earned or saved when it’s very possible I still won’t do as good as job as a professional?

My father never did do the overhaul. He realized there was a big difference between doing the odd small repair to get by and becoming a full blown heavy duty mechanic shop.

But this is a blog about UGC so let’s bring this analogy back down to earth. When a company, brand, newspaper, etc. decides to moderate its own content and that content gets to a level where it demands more resources (i.e. time, money and expertise) then currently available, the company moves into a new space – possibly unwittingly.

Do you really want to moderate UGC in-house? Is that the business you want to be in? If so, that’s great – I wish you all the luck in the world. My father found success in realizing that sometimes the lines between industries can become blurred. It is important to recognize when you may be drifting into another area of expertise and all of a sudden you are not the best person, or company for the job.