Content Curation: An Essential Ingredient for Online Business Success

by Jerod MorrisCopyblogger Media

Content Curation:An Essential Ingredient for

Online Business Success

The Big Idea

Content curation is not an option.

The Big Idea

It’s also not easy.

Agenda1. Why curate

2. How to curate:

• links

• ideas

• knowledge

What is curation?

• Content curation is “collecting and sorting content.”

• Digital curation is “preserving and maintaining digital assets.”

What is curation?

• Online content curation is collecting and distilling ideas and information for yourself and an audience.

Curation is not new

• Libraries and museums

• The Bible

• Early American newspapers

• Digg, Fark, etc.

Why curate

Because curation is an essential component of leadership.

(And we don’t follow people who don’t have ideas.)

Why curate

Because curation is an essential component of online leadership.(And we don’t follow people online who don’t have

ideas.)

Why curate online

No followers =

No audience =

No business

How to curate online

• READ

• Publish

• Have a process

• Have a purpose

How to curate links

Is it a waste of time?• No …

• You’re already consuming content anyway

• It rounds out the education you provide

• You become a connected online citizen

• It’s valuable and authoritative

Who should share?

• You

• Someone who has earned trust

• No one else

What is worth sharing?

• R

• O

• A

• R

What is worth sharing?

• R - I’ve read it

• O - It’s original

• A - It’s applicable (and accurate)

• R - It’s reputable

Where do you find links?• Manicured feed aggregator

• Social media

• “Curate the curators”

• Next Draft, Daily Digg, Farnham Street

• Moz Monthly Top 10, Growth Hackers Weekly Digest

When should you share?

• It depends

• Trial and error

• Respect the night and weekend

• Devise (and revise) a schedule

Where should you share?

• It depends

• Trial and error

• Respect the channel

• Devise (and revise) a strategy

What if you don’t have anything to share?

• Comb your archive

• Never lower your standards

• Just don’t share

Two quick warnings

1. Beware online filter bubbles

2. Beware tacit endorsement

How to curate ideas

First, the why …

• Prevent “Writer’s block”

• Prevent idea regret

Everyone should curate ideas!

Active Idea Curation

• You have a specific problem to solve

• Accumulate quotes, data, and stories

• Organize

• Let theories emerge from sources

Passive Idea Curation

• Have a process (Evernote?)

• Trial and error

• Journal

• Do something “mindless” with your body

• Trust the benefit

How to curate knowledge

To build an engaged audience, you must build

authority.

To build authority, you must build and

communicate wisdom.

To build and communicate wisdom, curate

knowledge for yourself and an audience.

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

• Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired about a specific subject through experience and study.

• Wisdom is aggregated knowledge that feels native to your being.

The benefits of curating knowledge

1. Curating knowledge demonstrates wisdom and builds authority.

2. Curating knowledge helps you find seductive hooks.

The process

Curating knowledge requires:

• Gaining knowledge

• Retaining knowledge

• Explaining knowledge

Ways to gain knowledge• Read widely and actively

• Obsess about one thing per year

• Have TV marathons — but choose wisely

• Listen to podcasts

• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Ways to retain knowledge

• Have a process for recording what you learn

• Commonplace book

• Use Evernote like a madman

• Draw connections in your mind (let your brain do the work)

Ways to explain knowledge

• Write regularly to an audience

• Host a podcast

• Produce tutorials and how-to videos

• Give presentations

One quick warning

Don’t underestimate the importance of emotional

intelligence.

Recap

• Curate links, ideas, and knowledge

• Have processes

• Read to lead

“Let us tenderly and kindly cherish therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write .”

~ John Adams

[email protected]

Twitter: @JerodMorris

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