What is more important, content creation or content curation? Share your thoughts
There are varying opinions on the activity of content curation and where it fits into the world of online publishing.
A recent Op-ed piece on Mashable discussed the reasons why the author believes curation is just as important as creation.
A main point that Steve Rosenbaum, CEO of Magnify.net and author of “Why Curation Is Just as Important as Creation”, discussed is that personal publishing online is a booming trend. He expressed the importance of curation so that audiences can get value from the flood of information in the digital age.
Now, anyone who can start a blog online has the opportunity to speak his or her mind freely and openly. As Rosenbaum put it, “It used to be that making and moving information was so expensive that the question of who was going to get permission to speak was a central social and political issue. But now speech is more democratic.”
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The question now is who gets heard. As each new writer enters the digital environment, it gets increasingly difficult to get heard. Perhaps this is where the professional aspect comes in. The content creators, curators and publishers that get heard and find an audience seem to be the ones who create great content and know how to spread that content by utilizing search engines, email newsletters and social media.
Curation vs. Creation
Which do you believe is more important, content creation or content curation?
Personally, I believe there is importance in both. Content creation can show your passion and deep knowledge of a topic. The original content your company creates can transform you into a thought leader.
However, for smaller companies in particular, creating fresh content consistently can be very difficult due to staff size and budgetary limits. Content curation can fill the void by providing information to an interested audience on a consistent basis.
The goal here is to know your audience so you can provide them with only content they will accept and appreciate. It is also extremely important to add value to the curated content, by putting it into context or including different perspectives.
What are your opinions on curation? Do you think it’s as valuable as content creation, or even more valuable? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
For more on this topic, take a look at Steven Rosenbaum’s article on Mashable.
