I am currently working with Michelle Rogerson on a research project studying the rise of popular user-generated content online. In particular, we are interested in identifying the reasons why some content (such as some YouTube videos; see Top 10 YouTube videos) gain star status, whereas others are barely paid any attention to. We surmise that network properties as well as author characteristics both contribute to such contrast in circulation and popularity. I will talk more about the research project in future blogs. But right now, as part of the project, we are conducting an exploratory survey of people’s usage and sharing of user-generated content. We would appreciate it if you could please spare 10 minutes of your time to fill out this short survey. I will post the findings on my blog once the survey concludes.