How to Create an Authority Site With Curated Content (For Online Entrepreneurs Who Hate to Write)

  What is the fastest way to curate new content for a blog post?

Do I need any fancy pants software to effectively clip, snip, cull, collect and share creative content that my community will enjoy? The truth is, there are so many creative ways to curate content these days, that I truly believe you can quite literally build the firm foundation of a brand new blog or authority site purely on the broad shoulders of curated content.

The truth is, content curation is the absolute fastest, easiest and most elegant way to create copious amounts of creative content... without having to write it all yourself.

For example, you can create an authority site in just about any niche, industry or marketplace under the sun WITHOUT having to write anything revolutionary yourself, simply by clipping, snipping, culling and collecting interesting things from around the web, and providing YOUR audience with a starting point from which to explore the universe that is your niche.

Tumblr, for example, is largely an entire platform that is fueled, fired and driven by the idea of creative content curation.

(and in a lot of ways, is a much easier blog building platform to generate user engagement and brand building than a more conventional "article" based model alone)

It's 100% free, and very easy to use to connect with other content creators who will celebrate you for sharing their content with YOUR community. (contrary to all of jealously and "red tape" that most WordPress bloggers believe)

User generated content is also a great way to get free content for your site... without having to pay anyone to write.

For example?

In a community project/Buddypress Social Network I'm developing now with a few partners in a very specific niche that we expect to really grow in 2013, I've built the site completely on curated content in the first month and a half... almost all viral video and "commentary content" from around the web that speaks to this specific cultural community... and has generated tens of thousands of new visitors to our Facebook and Social Community... many, many shares, several hundred Fans and none of it I had to think up on my own..:-)

(100% clipped, snipped, curated and user generated content that we're simply re-publishing in a white hat, ecologically friendly way... with a few parenthetical thoughts for entertainment value thrown in)

Sort of the Tumblr content curation model - applied to a conventional "brand" community.

The truth is, if you find creating new content from scratch challenging (as most people do) content curation is the quickest, easiest and most elegant way to SAY something... without having to say anything incredibly original, or to simply add parenthetical thoughts and opinions on what others are already saying in your niche, market or industry of expertise.

What do you need to succeed as a content curation publisher?

One BIG word. Curiosity!

And creativity. And a willingness to set aside an hour or two a day to go out and find great stories that your audience will find entertaining, inspiring, enlightening and informative. It really IS that easy... and while writing your own content is critical at some point, a good 85%/15% mix of curation versus original content is more than enough to build a BIG community of fans, friends and followers... and become a "guru" in your niche to boot!

As humans we enjoy collecting the best of the best. We assemble art, literature and historical collections and house them in museums and libraries across the world. Curating content is just one more way of pulling together the best of the best and cataloging it to share it with others.

Using the Internet has only made this process easier. As a publisher you can aggregate content, distill it into its most important and relevant concepts, point to general trends or insights, or develop a historically accurate timeline of information on a particular topic.

But, no matter how you slice it, if you are going to curate content, you must be able to find the information you need. The following tools and sites will give you the ability to curate concepts and develop your own unique style of pulling original articles together.

Feedly is an online tool available for iOS, Android, Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Advertised as the next step after Google announced the demise of its ever popular RSS aggregator [Google Reader], Feedly organizes and allows you to share content from your favorite sites. You have an option of using multiple different layouts and can share your content across social networks. Feedly allows you to aggregate the content and then develop your own RSS feed.

Factiva is a remarkable resource with which you can discover authoritative news content published across the Web https://yoo.rs/. It is the brainchild of Dow Jones and a significant opportunity for businesses to gain a foothold in their niche.

Storify is a free to use site that allows you to gather stories, collect media and then publish them on Storify. Now you can embed them anywhere - your website, facebook or link to them on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Bundlr is another site that allows you to bundle all types of content and save on their site. Browse through what other people have bundled in your niche for easy to find content that you can curate.

BagTheWeb is used to bag information that you would like to save and use later. You can create your own collections and look through collections that others have created and made public. It is an easy way to gather content to curate and publish on your site while browsing in your niche.

List.ly helps you to create lists and publish them so others can read. However, you also have access to the lists that others have created in your niche. Read through to find some interesting content that is current and which you can add to your own top 10 list on your site.

Scoop.it gives you the ability to look through what others have scooped. Use the search bar across the top to find topics that others have already created, or create your own. You can now edit and publish your information in other social online magazines or gather it for your own publications.

MyCurator is a WordPress plug-in that pulls in fresh content for your site and gives you ready to use content and images that you can curate in your posts. It is free to use for two topics, or WordPress categories, but will require low-priced monthly plan to curate more.