Day by day, online platforms are embracing
social media in every possible way that they can, be it Twitter, Facebook,
YouTube, or any other social networking site. This is extremely important for
every business in today’s digitised time. The need for relevant and good
content has been, and will continue to remain, the most integral aspect for any
business to prosper. So what is the basic difference between ‘content’ and ‘content
curation’? Which are the different tools that can be used for curating content
across the web?
While content simply refers to information
or ‘data’ which holds some relevance to a certain topic, content can be
expressed through any medium, be it the internet, audio CD’s, television, stage
performances, magazines, etc. In short, colloquially, one can refer to
‘content’ as the subject matter of the medium.
On the other hand, content curation refers
to the process of collection, organisation and presentation of
data/information, which is relevant to a particular topic/area of interest.
This content is often accompanied with images or video links to make the piece
of content as interactive and engaging as possible.
This is especially beneficial for SEO, as
content curation helps to increase website visibility. It also epitomises
social sharing, whereby more content can reach out to a larger number of
readers. Content curation is known not only for amassing and aggregating
content, but also for enabling marketers as well as digital professionals in
the field to re-channel relevant content. It also allows them to spark
engagement as well as awareness about different products and/or services with
customers.
So, in short, content curation refers to
the process of not only analysing and sorting through Web content (data), but
also presenting it in a systematic and organised manner that is based around a
certain theme.
There are many different online curation
tools that can be used to curate the content and connect with the target
audience. Some of these include Storify, Feedly, iFlow, Curata, Bundlr,
Scoop.it, StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious, and Google Reader.
Some of the golden rules of Content
Curation include:
1)
Use Unique Content: one thing that Google does not like is plagiarising.
It is very important to include original content in the curation, original
analysis and insights that augment the content that you are aggregating. The
more unique the content, the higher the ranking for the curation will be in different
search engines. The content will also be safer with regard to future algorithm
changes.
2)
Link to Only High-Quality Sites: while
curating content it is very important to include links, and include only those
links which are of high quality. These links are of extreme importance to your
curation and need to be reliable. Including links in your curation that lack
trustworthiness may be harmful for the content in the search rankings.
3)
Add Value for the Reader: for a reader
the content has to be of some value and interest. It is important to know who
your target audience is before writing and developing a connection through your
content. This will help in establishing an interest with your reader. A reader
needs to like your content, in order to share it!
4)
Build Relationships with Your Curation Sources: in case your piece of content includes part of an author’s or
publisher’s article, it is very important to first reach out to them and ask
for their permission to include their piece in your curation. If they agree,
ensure that you notify them when you share the curation. They will not only help to share the content,
but also help in boosting online traffic and reach.
5)
Focus on every type of content: after
you have written your piece, ensure that you include as many touch-points as
possible. Include images, infographics, whitepapers, visual representations, videos,
etc.
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