The Rise of Curation
It’s never been easier to make content. In this time of abundance, ordering all this content meaningfully provides value.
It seems with the rise of content comes the rise of curation. It’s great to see more people interested in curating, and I’m starting to see curation used in industries from food to pet supplies.
However, I’ve noticed something. Much like McDonald’s has borrowed the word artisan for a new sandwich with no apparent idea of what the word means, I’m seeing a lot of curated selections of stuff with what seems like little thought put into what curation is all about (and I’m not the only one to notice).
It finally got to a point last week where I had to pause and ask myself, what does curation even mean anymore?
The thing is, I don’t think people agree on what curation means. Even the Wikipedia entry on Content Curation notes the changing nature of “curation:”
For a long time, content curation was largely a marketing tool...However, recently it has begun to see wider applications among end users eager to cut down on the time they spent every day sifting through online information.
Curation is still a relatively new concept for a lot of people. Sure, museums curate collections. So do libraries. A lot of what it means to impose meaning on a seemingly disparate set of resources is borrowed from these organizations and others.
The act of curation isn’t new. What is new is how this term is used by those new to the idea of curating. I think this is due largely to a misunderstanding about the purpose behind curating content. So let’s dig in a bit, shall we?
What Does it Mean to Curate?
Let’s start off with an attempt at a common definition. To curate is to “select, organize, and look after the items in (a collection or exhibition).”
When people think of the word curate, if they have any associations, they think of museums. Museums have problems. They have a vast collection of works that cannot be displayed at the same time. A museum curator has to decide which pieces in the collection will be shown during a specific period of time and how they will be presented. For thoughtfully curated collections, the whole can be greater than its parts.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, for example, may choose to set aside a small section of their museum to present five painting from five artists, or five paintings from one artist, or two paintings and 13 photographs.
The curator has to decide what value there is in these different combinations and make a judgement call based on their knowledge of the works. To select pieces from a large collection and present them in a meaningful way is an act of curation.
What is key to valuable curation is knowledge and meaning. Knowledge of the works and the people who will interact with it is necessary to create a meaningfully-curated collection.
What is Content Curation?
First, let’s back up. When I use the word content here, I mean substantive information or material. Art, publishing, and media companies tend to define content as information directed at some audience. Let’s use that going forward.
A museum deals with a particular type of content. When we talk about content curation, we’re essentially talking about selecting, organizing, and managing a collection of content. Whether it’s digital or physical goods, at least one person has ownership over the organization and presentation of selections of the entire content collection. These curators, whether they work for MoMA or REI, have to choose what to present, how to present it, and when to present it.
Let’s say I’m working for Amazon. While they deal with both physical and digital goods, they present their items for sale via their website. In other words, even their physical goods are organized and presented digitally. Each item listing contains information about that item, so each listing fits our definition of content.
Let’s also say Amazon’s data shows they can expect an increased demand for women’s rain boots next month. This is a great opportunity to curate their large selection of rain boots and prepare part of the selection for presentation on their website.
Great, so we know what to present — rain boots. We also know when to present it — next month. As for how, that’s the fun part.
Remember: the key to valuable curation is knowledge and meaning.
To start, you need to know what the goals are for curating the content. For example, if the goals are strictly sales-based, do you want to increase overall sales, sales to a specific segment, or sales of a specific brand? In this rain boots example, you’ll want to figure out the target size for the curated collection, since Amazon likely has a specific page layout that will limit the presentation.
You’ll also want to gather as much information as possible about the target audience for your curated collection. The more granular you can get, the better you are able to curate an appealing collection.
From there, you might take an audit of all the content and begin matching what you know about your target audience and the goals of your organization to items in your collection. For the Amazon example, let’s say our data show the target audience cares most about price value, height on the leg, and appealing colors. Less important is heel height, material type, and indicators of high-quality. Brand recognition is somewhat important, but no single brand stands out for this target audience. Instead, trendy colors and patterns on a mid-calf waterproof boot for a reasonable price is what they’re after. In that case, you may decide to focus on bright-colored, mid-calf rain boots from a variety of brands between $25-$60.
Of course, the more you know, the more meaningful your collection.
The Future of “Curation”
Word meanings change. Right now, people are playing with the concept of curation, expanding what it means and in what contexts its used. Is there a right or wrong way to talk about or practice curation?
Well, how about this.
- Is ZipRecruiter curating a list of jobs for you if by curate they mean an algorithm is finding jobs based on information you feed it?
- What is the difference between items picked from a collection at random and a curated collection?
- Can McDonald’s curate a selection of their chicken sandwiches?
- What does Simon Perry, the Chief Creative Officer and Head of A&R at ReverbNation, mean that they’re “solving the music curation problem”?
- What do people mean when they refer to Facebook as a “sea of curation”?
To answer any of those questions above, you’d first need to define curation. I gave one definition and some examples based on my own work. Now it’s your turn. Take a minute, do some research, and nail down your definition of curation. Know what the term means to you and defend it. Otherwise, with the strange ways I’m seeing people use the term, you might start to question what the hell the word even means, anyways.
Take the Challenge
With all of this in mind, I’ve got a fun challenge for you.
- Check out the results on Google News for the term curation
- Find an article that mentions curation
- Share in what context they’re using the term and your thoughts
You can post what you find in a comment below. I’m looking forward to what you find.
