Beth Kanter

Beth Kanter is a consultant, author, influencer. virtual trainer & nonprofit innovator in digital transformation & workplace wellbeing.

Content Curation Primer

Filed Under: Content Curation

Photo by Stuck in Customs

What is Content Curation?
Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme.  The work  involves  sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information.  A content curator cherry picks the best content that is important and relevant to share with their community. It isn’t unlike what a museum curator does to produce an exhibition:   They identify the theme, they provide the context, they decide which paintings to hang on the wall, how they should be annotated, and how they should be displayed for the public.
Content curation is not about collecting links or being an information pack rat, it is more about putting them into a context with organization, annotation, and presentation.     Content curators provide a customized, vetted selection of the best and most relevant  resources on a very specific topic or theme.  As Rohit Bhargava points out  in this post via Robin Good,   a content curator continually  seeks,  makes sense of,  and shares the best and most relevant content on a particular topic online.   Content curators have integrated this skill into their daily routine.

Why is Content Curation Valuable?
People and organizations are now making and sharing media and content all over the social web.   For example, on Facebook the average user creates 90 pieces of content each month.  If you multiply that by the 800 million Facebook users,  it isn’t surprising that  data or content on the Internet is  measured in exabytes, or billions of gigabytes.      Simply put, we are living an era of content abundance.     A content curator offers high value to anyone looking for quality content because finding that information (and making sense of it) requires more and more time, attention, and focus.
Content Curation Provides Value from the Inside Out
What does that mean for nonprofits and the people who work for them?  I think there are many benefits for both individuals as well as the organization.
For some staff members, content curation can be professional of learning.   Professional development used to be about getting trained or acquiring a specific skill.   But, with so much information available and coming at us from many sources,  we often don’t know if it’s the right information or if it’s current.   And depending on our field,  it can get out of date quickly.   In today’s world of content abundance,  the skill of  how to find, make sense, and share content that we need to be effective in our work is critical.   Simply put, being a content curator is a method to help you stay informed about your field and be more effective at your job.
The biggest challenge to becoming a content curator is getting past the feeling of “content fried” or so much good content and so little time to digest it.    There are techniques that we can use to minimize feeling distracted and with some discipline make it of our work flow.
For organizations and brands, content curation can help establish the organization’s thought leadership and capture attention in today’s information cluttered world.    Content curation can help your organization become the go-to authority on an issue or topic area.   It can be done as simply as writing a blog post with links or sharing annotated links on Twitter around your topic.  Take for example, how Bruce Lesley from First Focus uses Twitter to establish authority as a content curator on children welfare issues.
The key principles of content content creation for a brand are outlined in this article “Become A Content Curation King”  – what is most important for nonprofits that want to get started is consistency, knowing your audience, and identifying your topical niche.   It is also important to understand that content curation is NOT  just about information, it is about feeding and tuning your network as Howard Rheingold notes.

The Three S’s of Content Curation:  Seek, Sense, Share
Content curation is a three-part process:  Seek, Sense, and Share.    Finding the information or “seeking”  is only one third of the task as Mari Smith points out in this video about why curation is important and some tools  for doing it.        Making sense of the information is just as important.  Sense making can be a simple as how you annotate the links your share,  the presentation,  or what you’ve left out.      Sense making can be writing a blog post using the links (like this post) or summarizing the key points in a presentation.    However you create meaning, but it has to support your organization’s communications objectives or your professional learning goals.   Finally, the sharing – is about giving the best nuggets of content to your audience in a format that they can easily digest and apply it.
Putting content curation into practice is part art form, part science, but mostly about daily practice.   You don’t need to do it for hours, but a little bit everyday will help you develop and hone the skills.  It is best to do the seeking part in small bursts to avoid feeling overwhelmed.  One way to be effective is to find the best curators your topic and follow them.  It is like sipping fine wine.  You have to be organized and know your sources. And you have to scan your sources regularly and thank them.
 
It is also good to learn from experienced curators and how they hone their craft.    Netsquared recently published this summary of tips from nonprofit content curators.   You can also learn a lot by looking at the work flow of “master curators” like Robin Good,  Howard Rheingold, and Robert Scoble.

Getting Started
Use this questionnaire to help you think through a plan for content curation before you dive into the curation tools.  There has been an explosion of tools and you can distracted by useless features.    Even better, perhaps focus on the skills with the tools you know how to use already.   You might want to integrate the process of content curation into a channel you’re already using.      Next, you might want to expand to using a couple of the new tools that are specifically designed for content curation.
Here’s a few curation tools that are easy to get started.
Storyfy — Storify is a way to tell stories using social media such as Tweets, photos and videos. You search multiple social networks from one place, and then drag individual elements into your story. You can re-order the elements and also add text to give context to your readers.   I use storify if I want to capture conference sessions.    Here’s an example from Zan McColloch Lussier using storify to capture the conversation from a panel “Good Grantmaking:  What’s Social Media Have To Do With It?”    A quick tutorial on how to use it.
Scoop.It –  (beta, invite-only) — Scoop.it is a terrific tool for discovering those super nichey, hidden gems relevant to specific topic. Use the dashboard to manage an unlimited amount of sources (websites, RSS feeds, specific social media accounts, etc.) and plug in relevant keywords and date parameters. Scoop.it does the rest and delivers you a constant feed of exactly the type of content you’re looking for.     Here’s my scoop.it lists as well as the lists by some of my favorite curators there.  Amy Sample Ward has a review of Scoop.it here.

BagTheWeb — BagTheWeb helps users curate Web content. For any topic, you can create a “bag” to collect, publish, and share any content from the Web.  Beyond most curation tools’ capability, BagTheWeb enables users to build networks of bags. This way bags can be linked together to provide rich and complete information about any topic. Susan Kistler has an example with evaluation resources.
Pearltrees — An extremely powerful tool that aids discovery of new, relevant content by presenting it in a very visual way. The interface builds a hub-and-spoke style tree diagram of content that you search for, discover and collect. Hover over new “pearls” to see at-a-glance previews of the content which you can then “pick”, comment upon, and share. Susan Kistler has curated this list on Evaluation.
What are your questions about content curation?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. It may be a silly metric, but you know you are leading the way when spell-checker refuses to accept that “curation” is not only a “real” word … but a major movement that could change how “search” and “discovery” happen.
    Thanks for sharing your primer!

  4. This is a great topic and a wonderful post. You succinctly provide a great outline — or is it a recipe? — for curating and sharing information. Thank you!

  5. I’m actually using Delicious more and enjoying it. Also find Storify really fun. Just got my scoopit invite yesterday & looking forward to trying it out!

  6. Great primer on this important concept!
    I’d add that making sure you’re getting the most value out of your work is key. Aggregating on other sites like Storify and Scoop.it is great but to get the most value – incoming links, shares, etc – it needs to happen on your own site. You should own your own curation, just as you do your own creation.

  7. Josh – that is such a good point! Thanks for making it. I use scoopit and storify – but I’m using it as way to filter/collect to curate information here on the blog in the form of blog post with links – like this primer

  9. Good advice. I like to use paper.li for a curation tool as my people (I am B2B) are on Twitter. It’s free and it does all the work for you by gathering all the links from Twitter on search terms you establish and displays them in a “newspaper” format. Downside for organizations is that is does include advertising you have no control over.

  10. It’s also good to learn from experts and editors as they hone job. Netsquared recently published this summary of the tips of curators ideological content. You can also learn a lot watching about that.

  11. There’s even a curation tool for bloggers, journalists, and news organizations to help them surface the best content by topic, and easily publish it on any platform where they have HTML level access: like WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, Google+ – anything with the ability to handle html.
    Most solutions are great aggregators of content by topic, but they don’t make it easy for publishers to incorporate that content into a curated blog post, for example.
    We have to be careful not to put a new label, curation, on what amounts to old fashioned aggregation of content by keyword which has been around awhile.
    Technically, curation is what you do AFTER you’ve collected a pile of information and begin to cherry pick the best and the present it, with commentary, on a publishing platform outside the tools you use to gather the bulk information.
    Therefore, it is a solid argument that aggregation tools cannot be labeled as “curation” tools when they are simply performing the first part of a curator’s job.

  13. With curation of content, how do you deal with issues like copyright? I see that you are using Creative Commons Attribution here which allows us to curate your content with appropriate attribution to you and your blog as the source.
    However, there are many articles that do not provide this option. How would you go about curating such articles? Would you be limited to a quote from the article with a link?
    I have one site that I tried for a while that just has videos that I really enjoy. I always post a little blurb and then the video. The rights granted by YouTube, etc. allow for this explicitly so I know I’m okay. But I’d like to extend this concept to other niche sites that I have.

  14. Bill: I link to folks and attribute the source. The issue is if you cut and paste an entire article. I summarize the articles in my own words and if I’m quote, I make it clear. Also, I always link back to the original source – plus anyone on referred to the original source.

  15. This post is the best I’ve seen on the topic of content curation. Thank you for providing specific examples and links as well as tools to help people transition to curation.

  16. Scoop.it is out of beta now. One thing I noticed is that they sometimes pull images from the sources, with a link back to the source for the image – unless they have agreements with all the sources and providers of the sources I’m not sure how they’re doing that legally from a copyright standpoint. I checked information on their site and couldn’t find anytihng – obviously they must have an answer, but something to think about in general – especially with photos.

  17. Great Post Beth.
    Given the crush of information, content curation is an extremely important member value for trade associations and professional societies. Perhaps not totally new but more important than previously.
    I’m planning to “borrow” (and liberally quote you) in a future blog with the association twist.
    Steve

  18. I’ve been thinking of adding a “curated” section to the front page of my site, but I’m worried about getting slapped with a duplicate content penalty.
    Is there a proper way to do curation so as to avoid duplicate content penalties?

  20. Nice post and really beautiful infographics.
    I started use content curation last month with nice results.
    Duplicate content does cause problems, but its NOT the appearance of duplicate content, it is the absence of unique content. Your site can contain lots of duplicate content, but as long as a page contains enough unique content Google is happy.
    Today I just discover a new “amazing” software that automatically create curated posts. I already did a small review in my blog.
    Regards
    Karlos

  23. Curation can be great for non-profits. Check out this nonprofit site: tgtai.net/hopeworks. They are using MyCurator from http://www.target-info.com to find just a few relevant articles per day for their audience. MyCurator reads through 100s of alerts, blogs and news feeds per day, finding just a few articles that you’ve trained it to like. You can save hours per day on the first steps of your great process: Topics and Sources. That leaves a lot more time for Making Sense! Great post Beth.

  26. A great primer on content curation! I am really looking to implement these strategies because G requires more and more content to rank well.

  27. Now, my thoughts are is this a promising field to make money? What do content curators earn now and does this curator software make it obsolete in the next few years? I have a family to raise and need to be comfortable with this. I have the opportunity do this for an upstart but I want to have a good idea what I’m getting into. Sounds easy to me but needs to be worthwhile!

  29. REALLY great tutorial Beth! And as more and more content is created, thoughtful content curators are going to be looked to to guide us to the content that is truly valuable so we don’t have to wade through erroneous search results. The best tool I’ve found for content curation so far is Springpad. I write more about how it’s used for content curation in this article: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/springpad-the-most-powerful-content-curation-tool-youre-not-using-0321129

  32. But please can you help us research “What type of topic and niche” that legally allow for content curation without violating search duplicate content penalty.
    E.g news site hope you got my idea?

  33. Very Nice Exposition Beth!
    I’ve read a couple of articles on ‘Content Curatuion’ earlier, yet felt uneasy because even reasonably, I couldn’t figure out what it is. Thanks to your curation(!), I guess I could get an idea of it now.

  34. This is one of the best articles about content curation that I have come across so far! It is true that content curation is playing an active role these days. The web is spinning into a form in which we are flooded with content and there is a need to streamline all the content, spin it off with your own opinion and engage the audience with a new perspective. However, narrowing the content encompasses a complex form of backend search engine algorithms. In addition, there is a need to present the vast amount of content in a meaningful manner such that readers can make the most out of it. We, at http://www.groupiest.com are providing individuals and businesses with a free platform that allows users to publish their content in a way in a easy to use and hassle free way. http://groupiest.com/?utm_source=externalweb&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=blogcomment1
    Susana E. Adams
    CMO, Groupiest.com

  38. Thank you so much for this article Beth! Now I understand clearly what curation means and I got a few more tips from your article: like anything I need a strategy!
    I even appreciate the image that makes sense with the content.
    Cheers

  39. Effective search engine marketing is more than just optimization of your site, or its submission to the search engines for indexing. When thousands of sites are competing with you on your service, just one optimization technique will not grant you top positions in the search engines.

  40. I once had an awesome content curation site. Curating together news stories in specific niches that interested a specific genre. Basically news stories outside the norm. I ran into big problems with Google. Otherwise I would have kept going. Have you any advice on ethical content curation, whereby I don’t get any slack for it?

Trackbacks

  35. […] Content Curation Primer | Beth’s Blog For organizations and brands, content curation can help establish the organization’s thought leadership and capture attention in today’s information cluttered world. Content curation can help your organization become the go-to authority on an issue or topic area. It can be done as simply as writing a blog post with links or sharing annotated links on Twitter around your topic. […]

  49. […] Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information. A content curator cherry picks the best content that is important and relevant to share with their community. It isn’t unlike what a museum curator does to produce an exhibition: They identify the theme, they provide the context, they decide which paintings to hang on the wall, how they should be annotated, and how they should be displayed for the public….More at Content Curation Primer […]

  56. […]    Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme.    Content curation is a three-part process: Seek, Sense, and Share. Finding the information or “seeking” is only one third of the task. Making sense of the information is just as important. You create meaning, but it has to support your organization’s communications objectives or your professional learning goals.Finally, the sharing – is about giving the best nuggets of content to your audience in a format that they can easily digest and apply it.  […]

  72. […] Content curation is a three-part process: Seek, Sense, and Share.Finding the information or “seeking” is only one third of the task. Making sense of the information is just as important. However you create meaning, but it has to support your organization’s communications objectives or your professional learning goals.Finally, sharing is about giving the best nuggets of content to your audience in a format that they can easily digest.Putting content curation into practice is part art form, part science, but mostly about daily practice.  […]

  82. […] Content curation is a three-part process: Seek, Sense, and Share.   Finding the information or “seeking” is only one third of the task.  Making sense of the information is just as important. However you create meaning, but it has to support your organization’s communications objectives or your professional learning goals. Finally, sharing is about giving the best nuggets of content to your audience in a format that they can easily digest. Putting content curation into practice is part art form, part science, but mostly about daily practice.  […]

  89. […] Content curation is a three-part process: Seek, Sense, and Share.   Finding the information or “seeking” is only one third of the task.  Making sense of the information is just as important. However you create meaning, but it has to support your organization’s communications objectives or your professional learning goals. Finally, sharing is about giving the best nuggets of content to your audience in a format that they can easily digest. Putting content curation into practice is part art form, part science, but mostly about daily practice.  […]

  112. […] What is Content Curation? Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme.   My question to you: is content curation a future approach to bringing together very small chunks of digital educational content? If so, who curates? How do we identify the "right" content?  […]

  121. […] Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way, around a specific theme.  The work  involves  sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information.  A content curator cherry picks the best content that is important and relevant to share with their community. It isn’t unlike what a museum curator does to produce an exhibition:   They identify the theme, they provide the context, they decide which paintings to hang on the wall, how they should be annotated, and how they should be displayed for the public…Read More […]

  126. […] Learning Geeks Ok, not strictly a department, but dotted around your company you have people who love learning. You may not know who they are, or where they are, but find them because they can help you. Recruit them and convince them to start sharing what they’re learning and discovering using your curation tool. They get recognition, you get someone to help find the content. Make sure you help them understand the difference between curation and aggregation. […]

  130. […] Content Curation Primer | Beth’s Blog What is Content Curation? Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging, … […]

  135. […] Content curation is not about collecting links or being an information pack rat, it is more about putting them into a context with organization, annotation, and presentation.     Content curators provide a customized, vetted selection of the best and most relevant  resources on a very specific topic or theme. …more at Content Curation Primer […]

  140. […] Turn your students into curators. Since information is ubiquitous, the question now becomes, “So what are you going to do with it?” Beth Kanter, expert in non-profits, technology, and social media, states, “Putting content curation into practice is part art form, part science, but mostly about daily practice” (148). Here’s her easy process for novice curators: Seek, Sense, Share. Students largely do not know how to seek because they are constantly given information and answers, rather than encouraged to find it, or figure it out themselves. For more information on Kanter’s Content Curation Primer, click here. […]

  142. […] What is Content Curation?Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information. A content curator cherry picks the best content that is important and relevant to share with their community. It isn’t unlike what a museum curator does to produce an exhibition: They identify the theme, they provide the context, they decide which paintings to hang on the wall, how they should be annotated, and how they should be displayed for the public. Moreover Beth Kanter explains other interesting points into her article about the process of curation and some curation tools….[read full article http://j.mp/pDHNrP%5D  […]

  145. […] on their mission.  These groups want to provide valuable content to their communities, though. Curating germane content keeps you a trusted source and connected engagement with your community. As much as sorting, […]

  150. […] In the process of pinning these resources I swerved and ran smack dab into learning! I’ve spent considerable time exploring curation as a skill and have learned it is significantly more  than collecting resources. Curation also requires reflection and sense-making. A key resource I explored was this presentation by Robin Good “Content Curation for Education and Learning, Emerge 2012” (note – it will take considerable time to digest, but it is worth the investment). For a shorter resource see Beth Kanters piece “Content Curation Primer“. […]

  154. […] and more consumers are flocking to the Internet. This social media influx has lead to the growth of content curation. What this means is PR departments need to find creative ways to produce a social media buzz for […]