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What is content curation?

• Curation is the expert selection, organisation, presentation and commentary given on a collection of things.
• Curation has spread from the domain of the art gallery and museum to online content.
• Content curation does far more than simply aggregate or repackage content. It sifts through vast realms of information and then organises and presents what is useful, adding the curator’s unique voice and point of reference in a way that creates meaning and context.
• Content curation often goes hand in glove with content creation. 
• Content curation quotes

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Content curation has a vital role to play

• In our world of content glut, content curation filters out the gems from the dross, making sense of the world.
• It helps its audience discern what matters most.
• It explores, cross-pollinates and integrates different view-points.
• It helps the world understand, interact with and contribute to emerging ideas, truths and principles.
• It educates and inspires.

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Great curation is inspired by passion, expertise and focus

• Curators should have a genuine interest and enthusiasm for the subject.
• Curators should have significant expertise and knowledge.
• The topic of coverage should be kept focused.

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Great curation adds significant value to what it curates

• Adds context, organisation and meaning to the content.
• Adds the unique voice, commentary and perspective of the curator.  Great curation has a point of view and is open about it.
• Highly selective, sharing only what is most important, most relevant, most useful, most timely and / or timeless.  
• Makes use of meaningful, informative, scannable headlines that are written with insight.
• Draws conclusions and distils the wisdom of the content into principles and truths that can effectively be applied. 
• Explores different perspectives with an open mind.
• Explores, shares, celebrates, cross-pollinates and spreads big ideas and best practices.
• Fosters thought leadership. Done rigorously, it can even become a valuable form of scholarship.
• Curates from many varied sources and includes a variety of content types.
• Utilises a high degree of direct human involvement and discernment.  Algorithms, if used, are only supportive.
• At its best, content curation transcends into the realm of story-telling.

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Great curation is always ethical and transparent

• Open about any particular biases and preferences of the curator.
• Respects the rights of the original content creator. 
• Always gives credit with clear links back to the source.

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Great curation uses a systematic approach

• Is a continually ongoing, living, evolving process, always on the search for what is true and useful.
• Makes effective use of tools to help streamline the sourcing, curating and publishing process.

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Great curation knows its audience and involves them

• Monitors the performance of all content and listens socially, learning what’s working, what’s popular, and what to change.
• Gets the audience to contribute to the curation effort.
• At its very best, fosters a thriving online community in its wake.

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When done right, the curator becomes a trusted and influential guide

• Trusted content guides are playing an increasingly influential role in society.  Trust is fostered through 1. Shared goals, values and ideals, 2. A shared passion for the topic  3. The expert knowledge of the curator.  4.  The curator having a lack of vested interests.  5. Sharing content from trustworthy sources.

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• Life is a collection of many things. 
• Our very sense of self is a personal curation of our memories, interests, ideas and relationships.
• Through the taking of photos and personal video and the sharing of our lives online, we become the curators of our lives.
• By all means, let’s curate our lives if it connects us, but lets not forget to also live it!
• By collecting together, nurturing and appreciating the things we love most, we become curators of our own contentment.

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