Content curation, a term that gained popularity in 2010, is the art of culling relevant, valuable and useful information from the vast ocean of data, and presenting it in a cohesive, interesting and comprehensive style that gives a ‘big picture’ view of a specific niche topic.
No longer can anyone claim that they can peruse and make sense of all the content that exists (and is being constantly added) on even a very narrow range of subjects. 47 million websites were added in 2009 and an estimated 550 billion documents exist online today.
The role of a content curator was first proposed around 2004, when the catchy term ‘Newsmastering’ was introduced by Robin Good of MasterNewMedia.com to describe a dedicated content analyst who would gather, collate and categorize content from various sources and compile it for consumption by those who are interested.
What makes content curation necessary?
Three factors drive the demand for content curation.
- Too much information – Its volume is growing day by day, minute by minute, and in every possible direction.
- Too little time – The things you need to get done seem to keep growing in inverse proportion to the time you have available for them.
- Too uncertain – However diligent and dedicated you are in researching information, it’s still possible you missed something important.
Because many people need to remain up to date with developments and information in specific areas related to work, career or education, there is a growing need for professionals who are expert at finding and presenting this on a continuing basis.
What does a content curation process involve?
Read more about content curation on the “Infopreneur Blog”, in an article titled:
