Curation vs. Creation

Content is king, we are told, and creating valuable content for people we do not know is hard work. It's easy enough, of course, to post a re-hash of popular ideas and memes, amended to reflect our own abilities or interests, in the hope of attracting passing traffic. Still, in the end, that is a curation of other's work, not original content.

Curation is a valuable and often underrated skill. It requires a good understanding of our audience. What are their challenges, what is on their minds, and where do they need to fill the gaps? It also requires an equal understanding of the information flows that relate to it - we need a maven's skills and attitudes. Together with connectors and evangelists, Mavens are the essential ingredients required for new ideas or products to take flight. Being a maven requires research, dedication and above all, a love of the subject area.

Creation is altogether different. It is not just hard work. We can put down hard work at the end of the day, go home and…