The problem with the phrase "User-Generated Content" is that it wraps together purely amateur video, your family ski videos, semi-pro, and the emerging new community of creators who are part of an new ecosystem of media makers.

The idea that 'premium' content will come from the current sources of video just doesn't reflect the changing impact of both bandwidth and technology on media creation. TV networks have historically not made content that we considered 'quality' (The "A" Team, Charlies Angels, Deal or No Deal) - what they've had was a super powerful distribution network with local stations and a national schedule that provided a powerful launch pad.

Now that's been 'exploded' and so UGV/UGC is being thrown around as the future of media. But it's really more about micro-media, than amateur media. So a new class of producers is emerging, and within that class there is some very high quality material that speaks to audience with passion, authority, and conviction. This is a good thing. Its good for consumers, it's good for new makers, and its good for technology providers.

The shift moves the power from the owner of the network, to the creator of the most compelling content. And that's going to be important for all of us.

When you travel often, you get used to certain routines. Jet Blue, has created an 'experience' that has been on the whole pleasant, consistent, and good humored. When they weren't able to get you somewhere, they would explain why - and help you sort it out.

It appears that party is over.

Now, for the first time, Jet Blue left me stranded. Hanging out with no way home from San Fransisco on a thursday night. The red eye, scheduled for 10:30pm out of San Jose was canceled at 3pm. With 7.5 hours of advance notice - i wasn't sure why they'd pulled the plug. "Weather" i was told. Hmm.... well united and a bunch of other guys were still flying - so that didn't make sense. But then again, i needed to get home. After hours on the phone (nope, they wouldn't re-book me, or help, or pay for a hotel, or pay the increased car rental, or anything else) i found a great travel agent who was able to get me booked to Denver and then Lagurdia on Frontier Airlines.

I landed in NY - not a cloud in the sky - hmm.

So what really happened here? Did Jet Blue simple get cold feat after the last BAD pr mess and decided they're rather have a bunch more unhappy customers stranded in hotels and at car rental counters than at the airport on in a plane where they could make a bad photo opp? That's sure what it feels like. But after years of good service, i'm shocked at how quickly the goodwill they've built up is being allowed to leak out of the bottom of the bucket.

It isn't that they made a decision not to fly. It's that it left a customer in a bad spot- and they simply didn't care. Sure weather is a fine excuse, except for the fact that i can look at weather.com just the same as they can - and it's clear that other airlines didn't ground their entire fleet in to New York the night that they did. So, did Jet Blue save a few bucks by stranding me - yes. But will i quickly forget about the huge bills i had to incur in dropping my car off at the wrong air port, the changed tickets, the last minute purchase of Frontier tix, and the utter waste of time that they made me absorb. Nope. That's going to be hard to forget.