One of the buzz phrases in the news business right now is user-generated content -- or UGC.
On July 7th, the day of the London bombings, the BBC received 20,000 e-mails, 1000 photos and 3000 text messages from ordinary people, many of whom were caught up in the attacks.
Photos and video clips captured on mobile phones were used on a main television news bulletin for the first time -- and many eyes were opened up to the potential power of citizen journalism.
Until now, all this content has been sent in without much thought to its commercial value -- but that could be about to change.
Scoopt is a photo agency which promises to "bridge the gap between amateur photographer and picture desk" by selling newsworthy snaps to the press and splitting the proceeds 50/50.
The public's very quickly going to learn that there's money to be made if you're in the right place at the right time. The person who filmed Concorde crashing made just a few hundred pounds because his footage was bought out-right -- and then re-licenced and sold around the world for tens of thousands.
Coke snorting celebrities and misbehaving b-listers beware.