Cookipedia - open dialogue Volume 1

I just wanted to post the answer from the one being responsible for cookipedia, instead of having it hidden as a comment. Below you can also read my answer to them. Let me know. What do you think?

Hi Christian.

Of course we will answer you, so here I am ... I'm Tove, responsible for Karolines Køkken and Cookipedia. You are so right in what you write .... we did a controlled cookiepedia (named it Cookipedia Beta in hope you didn't expect a full wiki on cooking), and we did it because we wanted to know the content. On our website everybody can comment on the recipes, and we have tried having very negative and damaging comments published. We were frightened, honestly! So we thought ... let's start creating some content and the soon after open the source for everybody to participate.
I see now that we were wrong. In more ways: Distrust is what we may gain, not what we hoped for. And I now doubt that we can take the right (and planned!) step towards Cookipedia as an open source as our economic situation is right now - http://www.arla.com/press/arla-must-save-dkk-1-billion-in-2009/
It's not that we in general are afraid of open dialog - more of us blog - mine is here: http://www.weblogs.arla.dk/k%c3%b8kkenbloggen - and we facilitate another open source media where people with an interest in "healthy meals og the future" publish and share their thoughts and ideas - http://www.fremtidensmaaltider.dk/

Tove Færch

Hi Tove,

Thanks for sharing with me, and hopefully some of the readers. A true pleasure that you can see and admit some of the failures.

I think my frustration most obviously is grounded in companies not knowing how to deal with an Internet culture, simply put: to understand behavior and do initiatives based on these. To create something the users like and go into dialogue and collaboration with them – and do it with a long-term focus. Plus, there exist an enormous potential if you are dedicated and do it in right way. Arla are lucky to have a strong, well-known brand (I think), a wide product range and a target group that are dedicated to your products and cooking. This explains the potential!

I think a key issue is the fear of having users destroying or poisoning something. But, you are dealing with your target group, your fans, people with an interest in you, so be open, trust the one`s that like you and you will see the potential. Commenting on a recipe is not dialogue…

The name is miscommunication to your users - as I see it. And beta is a term that explains development and constant improvement, not a term for going into an initiative with fear and anxiety (a controlled wiki).

My suggestion to you: Get a social media strategy, understand the behavior, and unify the different communities. Just to name a few. There are opportunities.

Pls get a contact button, so people are able to get in contact with you directly. Btw interesting initiative (http://www.fremtidensmaaltider.dk/)

And I should just have a recipe for a piece of bread ☺

Christian