Movin' Ahead

Yesterday I selected a post by Elad Gil who talked about Pinterest changing the way we share and consume information on the web.  Today I have selected another article by Don Reisinger  for Cnet News - digital home, who says, "let's not jump to conclusions here and has more to say about this.

I do admit I'm participating on many betas because I feel the need to stay informed. I'm not usually drawn to every new thing that comes along but somehow, Pinterest has caught my eye.

Let's take a look at why Pinterest is becoming one of the most popular social networks, what's really happening here?

Here's what caught my attention:

**Pinterest so far has been the only company to distinguish itself. Late last month, Experian Hitwise, a company that monitors consumer behavior on the Web, reported that Pinterest had 11 million visits during the week ended December 17, jumping 4,000 percent compared with six months earlier.

**The massive bump catapulted Pinterest to the 10th spot in Experian's listing of the most popular social networks, just behind Yelp. Experian also discovered that Pinterest has found a loyal following in women.

**In the past three months, women have accounted for 58 percent of its userbase, and nearly 60 percent of those women are between the ages of 25 and 44.

**Opinions are mixed over why Pinterest has been able to attract such a large audience.

**Is it the service's solid design? Is it the attention it has received from media outlets shocked by its growth?

**Is it, perhaps, the fact that it recently raised $26 million from venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, giving it bundles of cash to play with? It could be all that.

**But Gil thinks it might also have something to do with its ease-of-use.

**"Pinterest was one of the first sites to take push button content generation (via bookmarklets and 're-pinning') and structure it into sets of curated content called 'boards

**This allowed users to collect content from across the Web, as well as from other users on the site.

Reisinger ends his article with a word of caution:

**"Pinterest has yet to offer its service publicly. And once it finally moves beyond its invite-only phase, the company will be truly tested."

Followed by the question: 

**"will the mainstream Web user who typically joins the social game after early adopters pick up their invites, find value in it?"

** Chances are, we'll get the answers to those questions later this year.

Curated by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Media and Beyond"

Read full article here [http://cnet.co/xilVUk]

This piece was brilliantly written by my fellow curator, Robin Good.

Sorry my commentary is so long but this was so thought provoking, I just couldn't help myself:-)

The headline draws you in and the material more than delivers on that promise. What makes a great curator is clearly demonstrated in this piece. Bravo Robin!

I'm not going to repost what Robin has said but add my own comments, just as if I were in a conversation with him.

In Robin's own words - A great curator does the following:

"Optimizes, Edits, Formats, Selects, Excerpts, Writes, Classifies, Links, Personalizes, Vets, Credits, Filters, Taps, Suggests, Searches, Scouts, Hacks Filters and Searches, Is Transparent, Recommends, Crowdsources"

As you read this article, pay attention to how he has done all the above. He creates a standard, he gives you some criteria so you can understand what makes someone great and what makes someone no so great.

****He is responding to an article he read in Forbes about curation which talks about  the importance of keywords.  Robin stresses the importance of "human curation" adding your personal touch and bringing added value to what you're curating and not trying to fit what you're saying into keywords that will draw traffic from the search engines.  

These are my comments..........

**** Curation is new and is evolving.  Water rises to its own level.  The people who know why they're curating, who their audience is, how they consume information and what they need, and then act on this, will become great trusted sources.

Some people just want information. Others want to engage by adding comments or another layer of context. There's a rhythm to this and it takes time to find the right balance.

I think a great curator is a good listener and a keen observer who selects content that "speaks to the audience's listening".  Paying attention to this and fine tuning your approach takes a lot of work but it's worth it. I'm inserting a direct quote from Robin:

"One point: I believe that curators, as I see them, should rarely if ever be driven by analytics data or statistics but to their personal experience and viewpoint. Their goal is not in fact to go after the broadest and most numerous audience but have the humbleness and vision to serve a very specific need and tribe."

If you're passionate and knowledgable about the topic you're curating, and you are committed to serving your readers, you will be great.

In business you have to have a unique sales proposition. Adding context to what you curate will set you apart from others and make you great. This is your place to contribute something new, perhaps you disagree with what was said and you bring a new perspective. Anything you can do to expand the piece and add dimension to it is valuable to others.

Robin produced this video in 2009 with Gerd Leonhard, a highly respected media futurist. It is excellent. The title speaks for itself: "The Relevance Of Context In Content Curation"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDo6YrJKaoM.

There is also another piece "Context Not Content is King" by Arnold Waldstein I posted this some time ago. It is very relevant today and hopefully sheds more light on what will set you apart from people who are just aggregating links.

Last but not least......

Robin also has a view point and invites us into a conversation when he discusses the scoring system which you will see when you read the article. It makes me want to  respond, it's a two way dialogue between him and me, he's not just talking at me by reposting content without adding anything else.

I happen to agree with him about this but that's a whole other discussion.

Curated by JanLGordon covering "Content Curation, Social Media and Beyond"

This is only a taster.  To see the full article by a true master-curator at the top of his game, click here

This is another compelling story about Pinterest - the video says it all. It's a deaf woman's story about how she's using visuals to communicate her story. There's something for everyone on this network and this is just the beginning.

Please feel free to follow "Pinterest Watch" for continuous news coverage on this hot new network. You can also follow me on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/jangordon/

Intro:

I'm discovering new ways to use social media to show I can integrate and make noise in the masses. I love how versatile Pinterest is. It serves many purposes..

Selected by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Media and Beyond"

See the full video here: [http://bit.ly/x2qRyD]

Lee Odden CEO at Toprankblog interviewed 10 thought leaders on content marketing and curation over a year ago, but it is still timely and relevant today. They share their insights, questions and observations.

****One thing is for sure, 2012 is the year for content curation!

Intro:

Companies are realizing the value in brands as publishers and are making real commitments to the creation of content in their online marketing mix. Content curation is going to be an equally important element in their content strategy.

Here are just a few things that caught my attention:

Paul Gillin - @pgillin

Consultant, Author of "The New Influencers & Secrets of Social Media Marketing"

**Marketers can build trust with their constituencies by providing focused curation in areas that matter to their constituents.

**Original content will always have value, but curation is coming to have nearly equal value.

**The key is to stake out unique topic areas and to become the most trusted source in those areas.

**You don’t need a lot of money to do this. You just need to know the subject matter very well.

Erik Qualman @equalman

Author of Socialnomics:

**Today, everyone is a potential media outlet.

**A curator understands their audience and is able to package created content in a digestible manner for them.

**Creators need to view curators as distribution points for their content rather than as pirates.

**Content creators and curators that will thrive in this new world understand the importance of this symbiotic relationship. But is it symbiotic?

**In the end, almost every person is a little of both (creator & curator).

After all, there is no such thing as a new idea and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

**These clichés symbolize the irony of the topic being discussed.

Curated by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Media and Beyond"

Read full article here: [http://bit.ly/v03JVh]

Minn.(MN)—the internet marketing Research Company, comScore, released one day ago results which reveal 

Here's what you need to know:

**72 million Americans accessed social networking sites and blogs on mobile devices with 37 percent upsurge in access..

**“Social media is one of the most popular and fastest growing mobile activities, reaching nearly one third of all U.S. mobile users,” said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president for mobile.

“This behavior is even more prevalent among smartphone owners with three in five accessing social media each month,

**highlighting the importance of apps and the enhanced functionality of smartphones to social media usage on mobile devices.”

Here's what caught my attention:

**Social media and mobility have paved the way for innovation and transformed communications like no other time in history.

**Businesses and marketers will have field day continuing to aim their services through these new channels and capitalize on understanding its audience behavior.

Curated by JanLGordon covering "The Explosion of the Mobile Web & Beyond"

http://www.examiner.com/