Abstract
The internet is increasingly shaping our society and connecting us ever more strongly with one another. By the mid-1990s, the use of so-called “social media” technologies, such as blogs, wikis, or social networks, has changed the internet from a repository of curated expert information into an interactive platform for exchanging user-generated content. In this changed environment, referred to as “Web 2.0”, internet dictionaries are increasingly involving dictionary users in the lexicographic activities. The degree of user participation stretches from the user-driven compiling of the whole dictionary and feedback about the quality of individual entries to dialogue between lexicographers and users or among users themselves.
These new forms of user participation on the web have hardly been researched. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the different possibilities for involving dictionary users directly, indirectly, or in accessory ways in compiling a dictionary. Above all, assessing quality and clarifying legal issues are of central interest, in order to be able to evaluate the potential of user-generated content. In addition to a systematic categorisation of user contributions, we discuss several practical examples of individual organisational forms and examine possible motivations for active involvement. Furthermore, we seek to prompt a critical discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of user participation