The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The very reason this title is so intriguing is its obvious incongruousness. While this may be an attraction in fiction, it does not serve us well in our daily lives, which are full of decision-making, requiring informative sources. What we need is for our sources to be in line with our goals. And if we’re creating sources for others, we need to ensure they find value in those sources. Content needs to be coherent and cohesive. It needs to be written for the consumer, the client. Put yourself in their shoes and offer them something of real value. The job of a curator is collect and organize things of value for a particular purpose; to be a filter for others who don’t have the time to do it for themselves. You’re essentially creating a set of value propositions. This process requires several skills not accomplishable by computers or programs. The human touch is necessary here, for we have the ability to judge nuances of style, preference and perception.
The Media Maze
Time management can get tricky for the social media specialist. It’s so easy get lost in the social media maze. But, by and large, any time you spend wandering from link to link is time not spent profitably. If you’re on a mission to get something done and you see a site or an article you want to look at or read for some purpose other than what you are immediately pursuing, save the link, or open it in a new tab, and go back to it later. This will help you to control your time. I go tab-crazy…at any given moment I might have between 4 and 10 tabs open in my browser. I have a very curious mind and I’m always trying to learn way too much. I have had to develop strategies to keep that from getting in the way of my work. If you do this too, then you’re a natural curator. Don’t fight it, just learn to manage it. After all, it’s a good place to start in developing curation skills. But curation isn’t just about aggregation.
Curation Is Not Hording
Simply gathering stuff won’t cut it. You have to be selective. Very selective. And you have to know how to judge your audience. There can be a learning curve there for anyone and for any business, but analytical skills and critical thinking skills are vital to the process. The voice of the consumer is becoming louder (to everyone’s ultimate benefit) and we have to listen. Why wouldn’t we? Afterall, we’re consumers, too. There is a shift in control, gaining momentum, and if we don’t pay attention we will be eating dust, make no mistake. It’s not about who’s selling what. It’s about whose expectations are where. Don’t just gather, horde or aggregate content…it’s useless and valueless. Select, arrange and exhibit. In a word: curate. It’s not just for people who work with antiquities.
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