Content Curation Pros and Cons

Content curation is the process of sorting through a large amount of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme (Lilach, 2012).  It involves sifting, sorting, arranging, content with a fine tooth comb and then publishing that information on a website or blog.  A content curator cherry picks the best content that is important and relevant to share with their community.  A curator’s job is to identify a theme, and then provide the information so that it makes every piece of content you come across seem that it was made specifically for you.  Getting people to see the connections between things that they didn’t necessarily see before is a key role in being a curator.    Because we are living in an era of content abundance, content curation has its pros, but it also has its cons. 

            

Some of the pros beyond content abundance include giving readers what they demand, boost your traffic, build social media networks, and creating content is not time consuming.  Sites that are able to effectively engage and share content have become popular go-to sites for relevant information.  MLBTradeRumors.com is a curated blog around sports and it is now the “go-to” site for fans and players.  RD.com is a site offering readers digest and is a good site for “general topics” on what readers are looking for.  These are just some examples of sites that have been extremely successful in content curation.

            

Some of the cons of content curation involve having to also create your own data, can become too automated, and it can be hard to keep up with the demand for relevant and valuable content (Lilach, 2012).  Having to create your own data is much more time consuming than sourcing and sharing data, however, if you site your sources accurately, you should be able to continuously give content that is integrated with your own, therefore creating more validity to your readers and subjects.  This also helps in keeping up with the demand when you have no relevant content, you create your own!  Developing your own content can also assist with not being overly automated.  Since you have to go in and create your own content, you can still give that live person feel to your site.

            

Communication mediums are evolving to be extremely and readily available online.  This is why I would recommend this type of advertising medium for my clients because it is cost effective and allows you to hone in precisely on your target market.  For example, MLBRumors.com has ads that are similar to major league sports such as Snickers.  Where many of their advertisements are targeted toward men as is the website. Content curated sites offer a very niche audience for advertisers and thus, are a great way to reach your target audience.

            

All in all, mastering the art of content curation is still a work in progress.  There are still cons of sourcing, creating, and referencing valuable and accurate information because it take a lot of time to anticipate the type of content that your readers are looking for.  Sometimes that means getting your readers to see the connections that they wouldn't necessarily have seen themselves.

References

Dave Chaffey, F. E.-C. (2009). Internet Marketing Strategy, Implementation, and Practice. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

Lilach. (2012, January 30). What is Content Curation. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from Socialable: http://www.socialable.co.uk/the-best-content-curation-tools-online/