Amazon rides the consumer generated content crazy train

In keeping with the recent CGC (Consumer generated content) craze, Amazon.com has turned to its community to provide decision support for other shoppers. Their new initiative allows people to upload their own customer images.

What are customer images? Your pictures of products in action, with captions - photos of product features ('see the simple controls on this music player'), products in use ('here's how to install the ink cartridge'), product performance ('this camera's macro mode is incredibly sharp') - anything you can imagine to help other shoppers learn about the product!

Sometimes product descriptions and manufacturer supplied images are not enough. Here's your chance to help millions of fellow customers learn more about how a product looks, behaves and performs. Think of customer uploaded image as reviews in pictures.

So what do I think? (Thanks for asking!)

I think it’s a brilliant use of consumer generated content. It gets Amazonians further involved, customers further informed, and relieves the folks at Amazon from a huge amount of work.

Let’s just hope that nobody uploads images of themselves doing bad things in a Chevy Tahoe.