The Internet is an amazing resource for learning new subjects, gathering helpful tips, and just generally wasting the day away. But it’s dependent upon contributions from companies and individuals to make it a worthwhile resource, and new studies into online participation have come upon the “1% Rule” — that is, only about 1% of online users actually generate new content for the Internet.

It’s an emerging rule of thumb that suggests that if you get a group of 100 people online then one will create content, 10 will “interact” with it (commenting or offering improvements) and the other 89 will just view it.

It’s a novel concept, but the stats from sites such as YouTube, Yahoo! Groups, and Wikipedia show that most larger sites do, in fact, generally abide by the 1% rule.

With message boards, personal blogs, and the dizzying array of Web 2.0 sites that depend upon community contributions, it’s a cinch to go from passive observer to active engager. So if you’re reading this, it’s time to stop being one of the 89 and start commenting!