When I say user data I’m thinking about three things:

1. User Generated Data
2. User Imported Data
3. Captured Data (i.e. user account data, analytics, tracking, etc.)

There are probably better categories out there but this entire idea needs to be fleshed out more anyway…

Anywho,

Let’s start trying to use our data to provide some added value. Finding new ways to use data you already have can breathe life into an older digital ecosystem or it might allow one to build a whole new system (stand alone or complementary).

Maybe you already have what you need to make a good site into a GREAT one. Maybe, you just have to look and start planning for it. I’m thinking that talking to your measurement/research team is the logical first step.

I’m thinking that the backend has to do all of the heavy lifting, if the user needs to do most of the work then the new feature, the new site, etc. will not be sustainable in the long run.

Maybe I shouldn’t say leveraging user data, maybe it’s leveraging user input
Or
Maybe it’s more about add value and the different ways to do that

Still, i’m just thinking “out loud” at the moment

One caveat:
Emergent Properties

Examples:

Take Last.FM for example, for the SXSW conference they created a system that took their user’s music preferences and allowed them to filter through the SXSW music lineup. Last.FM also rolled out an “event calendar” of sorts that looks for music in your area that meets your musical tastes (as well as it can). Those are great value adds for an already strong site.

Group Recipes – food/cooking/recipe community
Different browse options (e.g. beauty, intereresting, stumbler, local; eateries), Roger the recipe robot, friend “recommender” – all based on the community’s input

Ravelry – knit and crochet community
Popular patterns, project finder (based on type of yarn and other attributes), flickr integration, public project tracking (what are people working on), project and resource tracking (e.g. needles, hooks, and yarn), pattern browser – all based on user behaviour and input

Facebook
Facebook introduced the ability to import friends from a myriad of different web applications and address books – is it a good thing? That’s another post but it did leverage User Data (albeit the fact that the data came from another site/application) – user initiated import

Etsy
Search by colour – based on user tagging

There was a review site a few months ago that had a really interesting navigation system. You could browse by a taxonomy and then refine results based on a folksonomy. Seemed like a great idea. I need to find that site again!