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Kate Herzog's List: Curation Tools and Resources

  • Jul 30, 14

    I believe a picture is a great way to tell a story. Since the free version of Diigo limits the number of images I can share, I decided to augment my 'Curation Tools & Resources' list with a Pinterest board containing images that visually describe the process of content curation and/or tools for curating content.

  • Aug 01, 14

    #1: Weeding Through the Acquisitions
    #2: Filling in the Content Gaps
    #3: Exhibitions, Features, Collections and Categories: tags & categories as "smaller 'exhibits' of a larger 'collection'”
    #4: Providing Insight about the Piece: "A content curator's thoughts about a piece provide why they thought it was relevant or important to the reader, adding additional value to the curated contend. Readers form stronger opinion about the curator. Comments and personal insights help build authority and trust."
    #5: Sharing for Your Brand

    • A content curator’s thoughts about a piece provide why they thought it was relevant or important to the reader, adding additional value to the curated contend. Readers form stronger opinion about the curator. Comments and personal insights help build authority and trust. 
  • Apr 25, 14

    Sam Burrough's overview of the Curatr platform, engagement, & effects of gamification.

  • Feb 16, 14

    "aggregation is automated, curation is manual".

    However, curation does need some form of automated aggregation or social-based filtering [tools]. .. curation ... generates its key added value by the very intervention of a human curator."

    Types of curation:
    1. Curated News Summaries and Lists of Links: Curated lists and news summaries are concentrates of information, reduced to its smallest components. Keywords and links on a specific subject or theme.

    2. Curated Guides and SuperGuides: Curated guides, are curated anthologies and digests on a very specific topic or theme, created by bringing together and organizing in the best possible way, the most useful content already available on that topic.

    3. Crowdsourced Automated News Aggregators - Memetrackers: Memetrackers are content and news aggregation engines generally characterized by purely automatic operation in determining the most popular links. Memetrackers key benefit is the ability to aggregate existing web content under different topics, providing therefore an easier and more efficient way to scan and search for relevant info on different subjects.

    4. Automated News Aggregators: Automated news aggregators bring together news from a pre-selected set of news sources providing automatic topic, source and chronological sorting and search functions.

    5. Crowdsourced Curated News Aggregators: Crowdsourced curated news aggregators invite and accept news submissions from the crowd and then publish all of them utilizing different automated criteria to sort and organize them by freshness, popularity, topic and time.

    6. Curated News Channels: Curated news channels, first aggregate and filter news content utilizing automated tools of which they control the inout, aggregation and filtering variables, and then place all content through a curated editorial workflow, that sorts, organizes and picks out the most relevant stories to publish.

    7. Automated Real-Time Twitter News Channels: Automated real-time Twitter news aggregation channels bring together a pre-selected number of unique sources, generally selected through a human validation process, into an organic stream which can be viewed and browsed in a number of different ways.

    8. Curated Video Channels: Curated video channels first privately aggregate the best video-based content produced and published online, and then manually curate-select the most interesting and relevant clips according to an editorial theme or to a set of predetermined categories-topics.

    Tools from the old Mindmeister Supermap are reviewed. But that map has been replaced by his Pearltrees "new supermap includes all of the tools and services that were already listed on NewsMaster Toolkit, with the addition of 25 new tools and with a much better organization of categories and labels" <http://bit.ly/ContentCurationToolsSupermap>

  • Apr 27, 14

    "To provide fresh and quality content, many blog owners use content curation. To acquire the best results from utilizing content curation marketing, it’s important to know how to use it, and also what to avoid."

    DO:
    a. Have a focus topic on what you want to write about.
    b. Ensure this is in line with the focus of your blog or expertise or niche.
    c. Source from a variety of sources (google blogs, amazon books, pictures, videos, etc.)
    d. Build the ability to “know” which links are clicked by which customers/readers. That way you can then segment them according their preferences.
    e. Keep tweaking the focus keyword as you look for material from different sources. This will help you finalize your keyword, and give you ideas for an attention-gripping title.
    f. Don’t just collect content and throw it out there. Weave a story or an insight around all the content you collected. If you have an opinion, or a conclusion, state it FIRMLY.
    g. KNOW your reader. And provide what is in their best interest and what they would look favorably to.

    DON'T
    a. Don’t make all your posts “curated” only. Mix those up with interviews, surveys, news and some original content. Provide variety to your readers.
    b. Always proof-read. Use the drag and drop feature. Don’t delete any part of the final “curated” post (you may inadvertently delete original credits).
    c. For photographs, ensure that you understand the license/royalty associated with the image.
    d. Keep an eye out for the authors whose posts you end up (frequently) curating. Don’t ignore them, but try to build a relationship with them.
    e. Don’t use curated content for guest-posting. Original content is looked upon more favorably by sites that approve guest posts.

    Links to "prize-winning" posts included.

  • Apr 27, 14

    Video from Curation Module of Social Media for Active Learning Course [SMOOC] length= 6 min
    ↬Robin Good http://curation.masternewmedia.org/p/4019687715/2014/04/15/social-media-curation-is-not-just-sharing-bookmarks-an-introductory-guide-video

  • Mar 26, 14

    "The networked learner receives information from various sources & in turn becomes a source for others' PLNs."

  • Mar 23, 14

    Skills for a Learning Flow Guide (teacher &/or curator):

    * S/he needs to be a knowledgeable expert in the relevant domain.
    * S/he needs to be a curator - but more than a curator.
    * S/he needs to able to pick out key resources and materials from the mass of material shared online. In other words s/he needs to be able to extract the "signal from the noise".
    * S/he needs to be able to "join the dots" between resources - and show how one relates to the other.
    * S/he needs to be able to contextualize resources and make them relevant to the participants - drawing out the salient point(s) of the resources s/he shares.
    * S/he needs to be able to model good knowledge sharing skills.
    * S/he needs to "think small" - and create short manageable micro-learning activities.
    * S/he needs to "think social"- and inspire and encourage short social learning experiences.
    * S/he needs to "think flexible"  - and how to support autonomy and choice in users' participation."

  • Mar 22, 14

    "developing your core message" - list

    "When creating website content, blog posts, email newsletters, advertising campaigns, direct mail, or social media content; the following advice may help motivate you and keep you on track:

    A - Keep your unique Audience in mind - Always!
    B - Banish doubt: yes, the right people WILL want to read what you have to say
    C - Be Consistent: all communications should be aligned with your core brand message
    D - Develop an editorial calendar: plan 6 months or a year at a time
    E - Educate your clients and prospects with your content - what do they want to know?
    F - Stay Focused on the core essence of your brand
    G - Gather statistics to track results that inform future marketing
    H - Be Heartfelt, people appreciate sincerity
    I - Inspire people with your content
    J - Avoid using industry Jargon people may not understand
    K - Keep going- don't start a campaign and abandon it before it has a chance to work
    L - Learn from your competition - what are they doing (correctly and incorrectly)?
    M - Keep it Manageable
    N - Never forget it's about them and Not about you
    O - Be Original
    P - Be Passionate about what your organization offers
    Q - Be Quick to respond to comments and inquiries
    R - Relevance is vital: tell people what they need and want to know
    S - Solicit feedback- do a Survey and use the results to create new content
    T - Target different messages to different segments of your market
    U - Provide Useful information
    V - Don't be Verbose - keep your content concise
    W - Keep your "Why" in mind
    X - create eXtra content for the times when you don't have time
    Y - Keep your content "You" focused (about the customer- not you)
    Z - Zap indifference: resist the temptation to use "filler" content

  • Feb 16, 14

    Aggregation Is Not Curation - The Human Factor
    1. Aggregation is not curation
    2. Filtering is not curation [different approaches to the automatic filtering of news content - nice list]
    3. Aggregation is Automated, Curation is Manual
    4. Automated Aggregation without Curation, is mostly...
    5. The Solution is in the MIX - Human Curation + Machine Aggregation
    6. News Curation: What A Difference A Human Can Make

    workflow includes:

    1. Crap detection-verifies whether a news story is trusted, and reliable.
    2. Topic competence-is an expert on the specific topic
    3. Synthesis-can effectively sythesize, summarize, title
    4. Pattern detection-sees story patterns, developments, related items
    5. Commentary-adds commentary, opinion and notes
    6. Visual enrichment-illustrates, visualizes, supports with visual data
    7. Referencing-adds links, references, resources
    8. Framing-frames and contextualizes stories according to the specific interest / audience being served
    9. Organization-juxtaposes, sorts, groups and finds relationships among different stories
    10. Classification-adds editorially relevant metadata such as tags
    11. Trust building-builds trust with audience by using personal voice, style and by being direct
    12. Credit attribution-gives appropriate credit where due
    13. Topic expansion-expands topic by uncovering related stories and information
    14. Time extension-identifies and links relevant past stories
    15. Sense-making-helps readers see the big picture, through diversity in viewpoints and sources

  • Feb 16, 14

    1) Subject Matter Expertise - "makes it much easier to rapidly identify sources, influencers, to understand industry jargon, technical terms and to be well informed on the general industry expectations, fears, and emerging trends."
    2) Relevance - "the result of subject matter expertise coupled with a very good understanding of the audience one is trying to serve. Only by knowing, or rather, by selecting a priori, a very specific audience interest, problem or need, the news curator can then proceed to source, aggregate, pick and select the most relevant stories to satisfy it."
    3) Trust - "can be gained therefore only by first understanding / identifying a specific content / theme connected to a precise problem - interest - need and then by virtue of personal subject matter expertise by scouting, finding, curating and distributing high-value news channels, resources, collections, maps or other forms of curated content... expanded over time by gaining the visibility, attention and respect of other existing curators and subject matter experts in the same field."
    SKILLS:
    1. Online Re-Search Skills
    a) Resource Identification
    b) Online Search [advanced search queries]
    2. New Media Literacy Skills
    a) Crap detection
    b) Online Collaboration
    3. Communication Skills
    a) Copywriting [quality, storytelling, reporting, reviewing, interviewing, vocabulary]
    b) Presentation
    c) Visualization
    d) Listening [social platforms, blogs, channels & reacting to comments, suggestions, & feedback]
    e) Marketing Communication ["Adapting, customizing and tailoring messages, language and vocabulary"
    f) Being unique
    4. Editorial Skills
    a) Selecting ["precise criteria for deciding what to include and what not. Refining and questioning those criteria on an ongoing basis. Having the ability to select on the basis of quality and relevance to the community and topic-niche being served"]
    b) Contextualizing ["Context can also be enhanced by organizing, juxtaposing, categorizing, tagging, and by covering other complementary stories and viewpoints...
    "Content curation isn't just about passing along information. Rather, it involves creating an experience for the user, telling a story from multiple perspectives and providing analysis or explanation for why you chose a particular piece of content." Erin Kissane]
    c) Referencing
    d) Crediting
    e) Summarizing [Synthesizing. Creating lists.]
    f) Updating
    5. Semantic Skills
    a) Organization and Classification [metadata, tags]
    b) Pattern Recognition
    c) Sense-Making
    d) SEO [long-tail keywords]
    6. Social Skills
    a) Networking - Social [Building trusted relationships with thought-leaders, influencers and subject-matter experts
    b) Engagement
    7. Information Librarian Skills
    a) Preservation - Archiving
    8. Technical Skills
    a) RSS and Real-Time Technologies [search, aggregation, filtering, and content distribution tools and technologies, social bookmarking and monitoring, traffic analytics]
    b) Content Distribution

  • Mar 19, 14

    Great summary from Robin Good; can be turned into a rubric for evaluating one's own content curation!

    "The true, value-adding content curator is rather a subject-matter expert researcher, evaluator and reporter, capable of distilling, illustrating and contextualizing existing relevant information and artifacts in a specific field of interest and for a specific objective/application/need."

    "The content curator characterizing traits:

    1. Is not after quantity. Quality is his key measure.
    2. Does not ever curate something without having thoroughly looked at it, multiple times.
    3. Always provides insight as to why something is relevant and where the item fits in its larger collection (stream, catalog, list, etc.)
    4. Adds personal evaluation, judgment, critique or praise.
    5. Integrates a personal touch, in the way it presents the curated object.
    6. Provides useful information about other related, connected or similar objects of interest.
    7. Credits and thanks anyone who has helped in the discovery, identification and analysis of any curated item and links relevant names of people present in the content.
    8. Does not ever republish content "as is" without adding extra value to it.
    9. Does not curate, select, personalize or republish his own content in an automated way.
    10. Discloses bias, affiliation and other otherwise non self-evident contextual clues."

    "The content curator objectives:

    1.To add new pieces of valuable information to the infinite puzzle he is trying to solve.
    2. To find, discover and report about new helpful tools, resources and ideas that hold value for his community.
    3. To curate something that he is personally very passionate about.
    4. To uncover, locate and identify extra details and not-easy-to-find info about the object / topic being curated
    5. To vet and to verify accurately any story or info before including it.
    6. To identify the best, what counts, not just the latest and the breaking.
    7. To help, inform others discover and learn about valuable stuff. Driven by personal interest and curiosity.
    8. To be a new kind of journalist who focuses exclusively on areas that he is strongly competent with, and discloses prejudices, relationships, interests and personal bias in order to tell a much more personal and engaging story. Credibility is more important than objectivity.
    9. To learn new things (in his area of interest) and to share and illustrate them in the simplest and clearest way to others.
    10. To make sense of the world he lives in by curating and exploring in a sustained fashion, one or more specific areas of interest.

    • The true, value-adding content curator is rather a subject-matter expert researcher, evaluator and reporter, capable of distilling, illustrating and contextualizing existing relevant information and artifacts in a specific field of interest and for a specific objective/application/need.
  • Mar 16, 14

    "Online, just like in the real world, actions and words speak loudly. Unlike real life though, your digital footprints are there for anyone to find on Google, social networks, and in communities. These disparate pieces are then assembled by employers, schools, friends, lovers, enemies, and anyone and everyone who wish to learn something more about you. Whether pure, sinister or simply inquisitive, whatever the reason, today these pieces construct a semblance of you and whomever sifts through your online legacy is left to their own surmise. This is too important to leave to chance. Online is the new real world. This is your life."

    "Repped is something we should think about but rarely do. We should be more methodical about what we share and why. But online engagement is teaching us to think in the moment instead of anticipating how those moments collect and assemble into something we didn't initially foresee. Andy Beal is on to something here. And, if we each think deeply about it, we are indeed the masters of our own digital fate by choosing what we share and how we reward those whom guide us online. At the same time, we are also the beast of our own burden by sharing whimsically."

    Review/Commentary on Andy Beal's _Repped, 30 Days to a Better Online Reputation_

  • Mar 16, 14

    ↬Robin Good

    Conclusion: don't just link to a source - you must add your insight/commentary/context!

    It's the comments/discussion that make this conversation worthwhile. See especially Martin Smith's March 6, 2014 comment.

  • Mar 10, 14

    "aims to provide a prevailing, and evolving, set of standards for the internet and social media."

    "This style guide will be updated regularly to ensure it remains relevant and responds accordingly to changes in language and common, casual usage."

  • Feb 16, 14

    "Real-time news curation, or what I call 'newsmastering', is the art of finding, aggregating, filtering, selecting, curating and republishing high-quality news stories on a very specific theme, topic, or for a particular audience interest, problem, passion.

    It grows out of the need to make sense of this very need to filter and make sense of the enormous amount of information that is available out there and that keeps increasing by the hour."

    "it is the user who selects his preferred topics and his trusted curator / newsmaster and then subscribes to it via a feed, social channel or newsletter."
    The Problem: includes link to 24 minute video of Clay Shirky speaking on the concept of "filter failure" at Web 2.0 Expo NY

    These Basic Curation Efforts Are Not Enough:
    1. Content is organized in spontaneous and unexpected ways. It is not easy to know or anticipate who will curate what or when,
    2. you still need to follow a lot of sources to be able to spot most of the relevant news that interest you,
    3. you can't avoid having to receive some overlap of news content provided by these sources,
    4. some of this content is mixed with personal content or private replies gone public,
    5. all of this content is often de-contextualized and it can't be appreciated without actually going back to the source,
    6. It is difficult to detect original sources from reposted, reblogged or retitled stuff,
    7. credit is not always honored,
    8. quality of curation ranges from simple re-sharing to valuable commentary addition, title improvement, tagging, referencing to other content and more.

    "The solution to the ever-expanding tsunami of news and information coming at you every hour is the one of using an intermediate layer of human filters, as originally suggested by Stephen Downes, to act as collectors-hubs and topic-specific curation agents for a theoretically ever expanding universe of interests and themes.

    I call such human filters and curators 'newsmasters', as their job is mainly one of finding, aggregating, selecting, editing and publishing the very best and value-rich news on a specific topic."

  • Mar 09, 14

    see also http://www.masternewmedia.org/real-time-news-curation-newsmastering-and-newsradars-the-complete-guide-part-1/

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