Unfortunately, I went to business school and remember the Pareto principle (80% of something comes from 20% of the population). The Feld post on 80-19-1 was a great read though b/c it talked about it in the context of user-generated content sites.

Basically the post says, at sites like Judy’s Book or Digg, 80% of users will always be passive, 19% of users sit on the fence, and only 1% of users are active and contribute.

I’m wondering what strategies these sites have come up with to tip that 19% over the fence to actively contribute, if there are any.

Amusingly enough, this comment is #3 in the results.