The Observer
One call out = 12 page spread
What was the starting point?
Prior to the centenary of the outbreak of WW1, the Observer Magazine decided to create a call out where they would ask their readers if they would like to get involved.
First world war: share your letters, photographs and stories’ is one of many assignments that allowed readers to involve themselves in The Observer Magazine.
Was all the content just used online?
This call-out received such amazing content that the Observer Magazine created a 12 page spread to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of WW1.
so what happened?
The Observer used the Contribly platform and received over 800 unique contributions relating to the First world war assignment from users all over the world.
These users became part of creating a bank of content that the publisher used for various user generated content central articles.
What were the benefits?
By creating assignments with Contribly, The Observer team sourced the content they were looking for, became closer to their readers and generated revenue at the same time.
The editor says:
‘GuardianWitness (powered by contribly) is an astonishingly brilliant way to gather the stories of the readers, and in this case made for one of the most touching and important pieces we ran this year’
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE?
The Observer have been giving readers a new collaborative experience where they can be part of their articles.
They now create a ‘themed’ gallery with 100% user photography each week.
Touching stories
The Observer Magazine received family stories from all over the world. This content was used and reused in various formats, all in the name of the soldiers and their family members.
12 page spread
The quality of the content shared by the community was so good that The Observer ran a 12 page spread that just included audience stories and photos.
loads of content
The Observer received over 800 photos, stories and videos from readers around the world.
Save loads of time
Halved the turn around time for the team. Journalists provided with hundreds of individuals stories to help create daily long form articles about life and stories during the war.
The Observer Magazine