Curators and Connectors

The people I know who gain the most value from social media are the contributors. They create, curate, and connect. They cut down perfectionism at the knees and drive onward.

This portion of yesterday’s blog got me thinking about how people who don’t pursue creative skills can still build a meaningful presence online.

It doesn’t take long before many of us realize we won’t be the kinds of content creators we look up to. At least not for a long, long while. And for many people, they don’t even want to be! But the next best thing is not to be a consumer.

It’s to be a curator and a connector.

I’ve written a lot about becoming a content creator, so we’ll skip that part for now. Here are some riffs on how to become a curator and a connector.

Curator

With instant access to endless information available within seconds, the trick is not to have exclusive knowledge. The trick is to find, organize, and arrange information in the most helpful way possible.

The first step to this is understanding your audience. Who is this curation for and what do they seek? The second step is to find it. Become a hound. Follow everyone in your space and read what comes out as soon as it does. The third step is organization. Choose which articles and videos are the most helpful. Then discard the rest. And finally, the fourth step is arrangement. What is the best to know first? How do the pieces link together in a logical flow? What base knowledge is essential in order to understand the most important knowledge?

Of course you can do all of this work, but unless you share it consistently, you wont gain the trust necessary to build an audience in your space. So post, post, post!

Connector

A connector is someone who engages in high-value interactions online. Instead of merely consuming the media half of social media, connectors consistently engage in the social half of social media. Follows and comments are just the beginning. Connectors have DM threads with everyone, slowly built out. They don’t just fan people–they ask questions, they share opinions, they pass around helpful links, they offer to help.

If enough people ask, “Do you happen to know anybody who…” then you’ve got a business model on your hands. These people become managers, agents, promotors, tour guides.

Closing

Choose to curate and connect on social media, instead of just consuming. There are so many people who could benefit from your insights. No matter how far social media can spread work and knowledge, people will always need face-to-face connections, and access to simple, trusted information.