Philstar, Scoopshot team up in redefining user-generated content

MANILA, Philippines — Cameraphone users who are interested in keeping up with the latest news now have the chance to earn money and be a part of the news gathering process with a revolutionary app that is shaping up to be a trailblazer in user-generated content production.

Philstar.com and The Philippine Star take photo crowdsourcing in the Philippines to a whole new level as they team with Finland-based P2S Media Group, Inc. in bringing Scoopshot, a smartphone application that allows citizens to contribute photos and videos from the day's hot news events.

Scoopshot provides news agencies like Philstar access to hundreds and thousands of crowdsourced photos and videos from around the world.

Photos deemed fit for a news article can be used by buying it from the contributor. Through this setup, Scoopshot users can sell their photos to news agencies and at the same time get recognized for their contribution.

The app is available in the App Store and Play Store, and once installed, it allows users to shoot and sell their photos and videos for publication. Likewise, new agencies can also set up a task to call for various submissions, where chosen entries get monetary compensation.

Currently, the app is being used in 170 countries and about 60 publications worldwide use the service.

"We are shaping user-generated content in the Philippines as our readers will soon join others from around the world in this endeavor. User-generated content will have a new meaning as Scoopshot enters the picture," Philstar.com Vice President for Operations Jules Salonga said.