Hey, hey! Steve Rosenbaum is up to talk about content curation and this session is slated as only being 20 minutes long. That means we’re going to BLOW through this. Oh goodie, goodie! :)
His goal is for us to leave saying this is the best session we’ve attended all show. He also says we don’t have to feel guilty if we check our blackberries or email. We’re all busy. There’s been an explosion in data.
What is all this “curation” stuff about:
- The volume of data is growing like CRAZY! The fact that we feel overwhelmed is an opportunity.
- Real-time, location-based and consumer content swamps search. We’re not near a plateau point.
- Web visitors trust sites, voices and individuals
- The Web has always been about curation
- Now traffic is shifting from URLs and search to destinations
How does curation work?
- Successful curators have a voice and a content mix. People come to your site expecting something. They’re expressing intent. People want your point of view.
- Sites will create some unique content. (CREATED)
- Sites will invite visitors to submit content (CONTRIBUTED)
- Sites will use tools to aggregate and filter (COLLECTED)
- The curated mix is powerful, unique and economic. (Google is doing curation well. They’re not making content and they’re doing *just fine*)
- You have the right to profit from the value you add (HUZZAH!… okay that was my huzzah, not his)
- You don’t have the right to steal value or remove ads
With that said, shake off your guilt. You have the right to make money based on content curation…you just can’t steal it.
Who is doing curation?
- Media Sites like New York Magazine, Drudge, Mediaite, HuffingtonPost (you can’t tell the difference between which posts on HuffPo are links, which were paid for and which they were written by staffers, and that’s intentional)
- Brands like Pepsi, Zappos, Etsy and Starbucks
- eCommerce/Consumer sites like Yelp, FourSquare and RocAWear
The way the Web is set up, if someone doesn’t like how you’re using their material, they can tell you to stop. We have the Google/Viacom deal to thank for that. The leading media companies in the space are way beyond asking people for the content they want to use/take. You should be doing curation aggregation the same way.
If people are passionate about your site and want to make content for you, LET THEM. It’s cool if your visitors get in the habit of making content for you. Don’t publish everything they give you (you have to protect your brand), but let them get into that habit. You’ll put your economics in a better direction.
What about Copyright?
First understand this isn’t a new idea. Media has a history of building brands by organizing content and commenting on it. Yes, you can organize and collect the copy. There are rules about what you can do.
- Content posted on the Web can be linked to.
- Content on sites with open APIs can be embedded
- Understand the DMCA and abide by it
- Don’t edit, obscure or destroy revenue sources on content
- Expect that your original content will be aggregated and curated as well
- RESPECT others. Play nice. If someone asks you to remove their content, do it. There’s lots more out there.
Conclusion
- The history of content is about filtering and commenting
- Curation isn’t a crime. It’s a necessity.
- Robots are your friends. But don’t let visitors smell the metal.
- Have a voice. Be transparent. Be honest.
Wow, I really wish there would have been more time in this session. With so many content farms killing remarkable content, I think we could have created a great conversation here. How do you best curate content? How much is too much? What do users want? Ah, so many unanswered questions.
Back in a few minutes with the next 20 minute session! :)
