Curation in Multiple Communities

Category: People

Published: 08/13/2012 03:19 p.m.

The strength of curation is in it's uniqueness, in the fact that it reduces the noise.

The strength of communities is that they support one other and are able to have larger common/shared resources that smaller groups can't afford.

One has strength in limited numbers. The other has a strength in large numbers.

Curation amongst communities may not work very well. It is hard to successfully curate content when there is an implication that everyone will share everything. Curation is eliminated and instead we get more of a sharing trade relationship. You like my article, and I will like yours.

Curation is no longer a part of the equation, and while there may be a temporary rise in attention for the shared groups, the longer term effects may cause a loss in interest from members of the greater organizations.

As with businesses, many niche NPOs or content creators have a limited market size. The confusion about this is that many programs are something that "everyone" should support or think is a good idea. Cancer research I would imagine has very few enemies, but that doesn't necessarily make everyone a strong advocate (much less a donor). Awareness is key in this regard, but instead of focusing on the general population, a more targeted awareness campaign would make more sense for increasing donations and raising volunteerism.

Awareness usually requires a broader audience, and a good way for niche or similar groups to reach a broader audience is to collaborate. But, these collaborations could be more strategic than current technology provides in order to be very effective for the constituents.

I have a passion for drunk driving awareness. A good friend of mine is involved in the Big Brothers and Sisters organization in Dallas. "Collaboration" and community might suggest that we exchange likes. I like the thing he sent out if he likes mine. But, our interests aren't very related, and as such, may not benefit our individual advocates.

Technology needs to do a better job of connecting people with similar causes. While cross-promotion works well for cereal boxes and product campaigns, it not necessarily a great fit for advocacy.