Content curation – to me – is simply an online expression of what we do throughout our lives on an everyday basis: we filter through huge amounts of information and choose what we share with those we know based on our knowledge of their likes and interests in an effort to further build or cement our relationship with them.
Each and every day, we are exposed to vast amounts of information. Some of it we absorb and file away as referential information. Much is ignored as it crosses our consciousness. But there are bits and pieces we mentally “tag” as being something we want to share with someone we know who is interested in that topic. That, to me, is the essence of content curation, and we humans have been doing it since the dawn of time.
What is content curation in the context of your blog or website?
According to C.C. Chapman and Ann Handley, in their book, “Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series)
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“[Content curation is] the act of continually identifying, selecting and sharing the best and most relevant online content and other online resources on a specific subject to match the needs of a specific audience.”
Excellent definition. But what’s implied here, not overtly stated, is that YOU are both the filter through which the best and most relevant online content is determined, as well as the provider of authoritative context.
That is an important point not to be overlooked, because without it, you are just regurgitating information you’ve found on the web. Content curation is much more than that:
It seems that the key to curation, at least as I currently understand it, is all about distilling down a wealth of information about a specific topic into its most useful components AND adding context to that information in a way that saves readers time AND makes the final information more valuable as a result of the distillation process.
I would also suggest that adding in “your” personality and experience both in the distillation process and your unique added content will determine the group of followers you will ultimately attract….More at Content Curation | What it is and What it Isn’t – Curate Content
Is content curation for you?
If your aim is to become the “go to” person for your target market, to build authority on your topic and provide value for your readers, then I would say your answer is a resounding, “Yes!”
Stay tuned and we’ll discuss simple ways to get started curating content.
