Several months ago the BBC refashioned its homepage. And now I can refashion it - exactly how I want it. It’s like my Netvibes page - everything where I want it, as I want it. Except it isn’t. Everything moved around and I got a little confused. They changed all the pieces before they allowed me to move them. The colours and shapes even changed. It was like when Tesco’s move their aisles about and I got pretty frustrated trying to find things again. Goodness knows how my Dad coped. Acting Head of User Experience for the BBC, Richard Titus, explains that “the redesign is part of an ongoing conversation with our audience“. But I never really converse with the Beeb. They tell me stuff. They inform me. Theirs is one of the remaining brands bastioned by monologue, not conversation. But times have changed. Anyone that has ever read the Premiership Live Scores will know that, thanks to readers comments and “Steve’s” responses, it can be more fun to read the feed than to watch a match on Sky because the feed is a dialogue - a real one. But on the homepage I am not speaking to anyone. I just want to know stuff. Atomisation makes sense but not at the cost of the speedy access to parts of the site I’ve visited for years. Maybe I just need to get over it. Maybe I need to “converse” with the BBC, but I’m pretty sure I just want information. Alas the homepage is not the only casualty of this trend towards conversation. In years past, the only opportunity to listen to Cheryl blither on about local council rubbish collections was when Question Time visited Swansea. But now on Newsnight’s blog we can suggest topics for coverage - we can all get in on the act and talk about UFO’s in London.

Meanwhile, in Seattle…. Starbucks launches mystarbucksidea.com - a site dedicated to getting you to “help shape the future of your children the world Starbucks”. You can share your idea, vote for other ideas, discuss ideas and see which ones have been actioned! Amazingly people do seem to care about this (92,780 people have approved one idea with over 1000 comments). Or maybe they are just bored. Ultimately your decision is down to people like this or this, but you never know, enough people might vote your tattoo day in and these kind selfless folk at Starbuck might just approve it.

The problem with an online Comment Card like this is that it’s just too easy to make comments. It devalues the importance of what you’re saying because it is no effort to say it. 10, 000 signatures for an online petition is not like 10,000 people protesting outside Parliament Square. When it becomes this easy, we think things through less and make 10 thoughtless comments rather than spend the time it would take to find a pen and write one on the comment card in store. Emails aren’t nearly as valuable as post. And the same will be true of content contributed online. Why are brands making more work for themselves by letting the masses in through such an easily opened door?

It begins to reek of Snakes on a Plane. Not since the introduction of reader’s wives has the public played such a large role in generating content. And whilst SOAP was a landmark film, it was so for all the wrong reasons, quickly telling Hollywood to close Pandora’s Box of idiotic input and use its well paid directors to make these decisions. It’s why we agencies “push back” on feedback rather than building it all in.

Going back to the BBC’s homepage and its invitation for Cheryl to pipe up about her hoodie infestation, yes, interaction can be great to allow brands to engage in dialogue with consumers, but as with every tool, we need to know when to use it and when to say enough.

Tags: bbc, content, Snakes on a plane, starbucks