Blog by @natevegas
As 2012 draws to a close, we’re continuing to see the Social Media space evolve. Experienced social media managers are defining two distinctly different roles: as a content creator and the role of a content curator, and it’s best if we all know the difference. Some of the most influential people on the web are rockstars at both of these types of roles.
Type 1: Content Creator
The content creator’s job is arguably one of the most difficult roles on the web. These are the writers, editors, photographers, artists, directors, news reporters and basically, all of the engineers of what we read, watch and share online every day. In 2013, the content creator’s role will be to 1) Capture and create shareable stories, 2) Stay aligned with what their company sells and 3) Be great listeners to stay true to what your audience wants or needs.
Integrity and accuracy are increasingly vital for content creators. The best creators are able to balance those three key items. How often do you see a tweet or blog headline that doesn’t deliver, or totally misses the mark by not even relating to the article?
Type 2: Content Discoverers a.k.a Curators
In 2013 we’ll see the curator’s role become more popular. The best curators are the people who share the most relevant, most helpful, and most interesting information on the web. The curator’s role isn’t new. (Newspapers have been using the Associated Press to fill pages of papers for decades). There’s a heavy dose of integrity and massive responsibilities required.
First and foremost, the best curators honor the author by always citing who created the content originally. We see this sometimes in the form of “via @Username,” after a tweet, for example. Next, great curators remember their value buckets and in the name of the gambler, Kenny Rogers, they know when to hold ‘em. Mix in your opinions and relevant, original content alongside the story if possible.
My top 3 content-discovery tools for 2013:
1. Scoop.it – Users are able to define topics and/or curators to follow, then get daily emails with the newest “scoops” to read and share. When a story is re-scooped, readers are directed to the users Scoop.it profile for a brief overview and direct links to the source. Nice upgrade options for businesses and pro users, and lots of options for outgoing social network sharing.
2. Flipboard for iPad – This one is very popular for a good reason. Flipboard sports an easy, elegant horizontally-scrolling interface that allows users to set seemingly unlimited topics to read and share updated news.
3. Hopflow for iPad – Searching by interests rather than users, Hopflow is a hybrid of Scoop.it and Flipboard. There’s no preview of the story, but the primary image and the fast, smooth horizontal interface is very slick.
