Rewarding User Generated Content

A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer control the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

• receiving a point of interest data set from a user of a mobile device, where the point of interest data set is computer data suitable for storage on a computer-readable storage medium, where the point of interest data set includes information concerning a hyperlocal point of interest or a traditional point of interest, where the information concerning the hyperlocal point of interest includes information concerning transient attributes of the hyperlocal point of interest, and where the information concerning the traditional point of interest includes information concerning fixed attributes of the traditional point of interest, and where the point of interest data set includes an identifier of the user, where the identifier is configured to identify the user as a voluntarily registered participant in a rewards program or as a member of a social network correlated to the rewards program and to provide access to a profile of the user;
• establishing a quality measure for the point of interest data set, where establishing the quality measure includes evaluating a completeness of the point of interest data set, evaluating a type of data provided in the point of interest data set, examining a profile of the user, evaluating a similarity of the point of interest data set to a previously acquired data set, or evaluating subsequent treatment of the point of interest data set;
• selecting a reward to provide to the user as a function of an attribute of the point of interest data set, the quality measure, and an attribute of the user, where the reward is a cellular data reward, a data plan reward, a gaming reward, a shopping reward, a marketplace reward, a downloadable content award, or an affinity reward;
• selectively providing the reward to the user or to a rewardee identified by the user, and
• upon detecting that the user is at a potential point of interest or upon detecting that the user is interacting with an application that accesses point of interest data, providing a notice to the user that providing the point of interest data set will be free or providing a notice to the user that providing the point of interest data set may provide a reward.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory;
• a set of logics configured to reward a user for making a contribution of user generated content to a crowd-sourced database;
• and
• an interface to connect the processor, the memory, and the set of logics;
• the set of logics comprising:
• a first logic configured to acquire the contribution from the user, where the contribution is data produced by a mobile device, the data being suitable for storage on a computer-readable storage medium;
• a second logic configured to produce an evaluation of the contribution;
• and
• a third logic configured to provide a reward based on the contribution, the evaluation, and the user.