Apart from time, another reason people give for not blogging, using Twitter or Facebook is that they can’t think of anything to say. But it’s not all about creating content yourself, some of the best, and oldest, institutions in the world curate information rather than create it.
Google, all search engines curate, Guy Kawasaki, with over 300,000 followers on Twitter, his site Alltop.com and even Amazon curates information as opposed to creating it. Offline examples are even more obvious, The British Museum and Tate Modern, great examples of curators that gather together quality content for easier access by us. Nobody minds that they never create anything, in fact people are quite happy to pay for the pleasure of viewing the things they curate.
You don’t always have to be creating new material yourself, writing posts, poignant Tweets or producing videos. You can, just be a curator of quality content related to your speciality.
The Tate Modern example is a good one because in addition to curating, and charging for access, it shows off other people’s art. Helping them get recognition. Helping others get what they want has it’s own rewards. In turn if you can seek out the best content in your area of interest, collect it together for others to enjoy, therefore providing a great service to your community.
I am not talking about violating copyright. Unlike an art gallery, there is no need to have the complete article on your blog. Maybe the introduction, with a few words explaining why you have chosen to feature it the content. A simple Tweet sharing the link to the article you’ve found or even an introduction on a Facebook post again with a link to the full article.
If you’re not a creator maybe you should become a curator and gain a reputation for finding great quality information for others in your market sector.
Creator or Curator, which do you prefer?