Here’s a note I found in Evernote dated July 23, 2015, on content curation.
- Pick a topic or an article that intrigues you
- Jot down the key message
- Search for the key message and pick up 5 to 10 authority websites that comment or speak on the same topic/key messages
- Review them and snip important parts
- Outline your thoughts around this to add value to the readers
I can’t believe it’s been six years since I jotted those thoughts down because I wouldn’t do it any other way even now, in 2021. And I think curation is the best way to segue into content creation.
I think I’ve said this before — information constipation is a thing. People have an ever-growing volume of content that they want to read, review, analyse, synthesise, and share further but less than a couple of hours in a day to process all that information. It is impossible to have them pay attention to your work if it’s a variant of something already out there, like news and analysis, movies, films, technology, and the like.
The dynamics change when you create something original or curate information from the best sources out there, synthesise and present it compellingly. So, instead of visiting 15 different websites, they come to yours because you’ve done the heavy lifting for them to provide insights that make sense for them.
Subscribe to Jason Kottke, Maria Popova, and Dave Pell’s work if that interests you. You won’t regret it, as these three have been the kings and queens of content curation for more than a decade now. I would also add Tyler Cowen’s “Marginal Revolution” list.
Learn from the best. And if you take content curation up, do drop me a line; I would love to follow your work.