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Pawan Deshpande is the CEO and visionary behind Curata (formerly HiveFire, Inc.), provider of an easy-to-use marketing solution for content curation and content marketing. Deshpande has spoken at a number of leading events including Content Marketing Retreat, Content Marketing World, SXSW Interactive, Online Media Summit, Social Media Breakfast and several AMA webinars. Deshpande was named to Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list of influential business leaders in 2010 due in part to his contributions to the burgeoning online marketing community in greater Boston. Deshpande is a known expert on the topic of content curation – in addition to speaking at myriad marketing conferences, he has worked closely with his team at Curata to develop free resources for marketers seeking help with developing and implementing a content curation strategy. Prior to founding Curata, Deshpande held positions at both Microsoft and Google. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for both his graduate and undergraduate degrees in Computer Science.

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What Kind of Content Curator Are You?

Written on
Aug 25, 2011 
Author
Pawan Deshpande  |
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What Kind of Content Curator Are You?

ADOTAS – We all structure our lives to accommodate the traits and idiosyncrasies that make us—and the people around us—“us.” You may appease your Type A colleague’s competitive spirit by giving him all the credit on a project, or if you are a slow mover in the morning, you know to only book meetings after a time when you’ve had the chance for a cup of coffee.

But as new projects and tactics are incorporated into your schedule, it can be hard to tailor your work style to who you are. If you’re not a morning person but you’ve got many competing deadlines, you may have to start booking conversations before 10 a.m.—and prepare yourself accordingly.

For example, many marketers are now adding content curation— the act of finding, organizing and sharing online content to engage customers and prospects—to their job descriptions. As with other marketing strategies, personality type can play a big part in your content curation style, from the types of content you share to where you share it and how you go about the process.

What’s your curation type? Match your own personality to the qualities below so you can embrace your inner curator.

If You’re Investigative…

Investigative people are thinkers. They value scientific research and intellectual pursuits. Curators who fit this bill likely spend more time—which for Curata customers is typically about 20 minutes—reviewing and determining which curated content to share.

The material they share often includes research reports, survey findings and in-depth features, and their original content reflects the same thoroughness; rather than taking a few minutes to annotate a curated article, the Investigative curator is fulfilled when he disagrees with the article, can find a data point that refutes the claim, and develops a detailed counterpoint post to run on his company’s microsite.

If You’re Artistic…

Artistic people, as the name implies, are creative, imaginative and original. Their “out of the box” style often brings a welcome breath of fresh air to companies—especially those that typically follow the status quo. So it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that Artistic curators share far more than just text; they also incorporate videos from YouTube, the photos that accompany stories, and whenever possible, infographics or other graphical content on relevant topics.

This creates a visually appealing curated site that draws in audiences and supports the curator’s aesthetic feel for the microsite. Developing regular, original content is also highly important to Artistic curators because it serves as an opportunity to flex her creative muscles and release imaginative energy.

If You’re Social…

Social people are the life of the party—and usually, they’re helping throw the party. Interpersonal pursuits that involve helping others, building relationships and being part of a shared community are key to their happiness. The same holds true for their role as a curator: community is key.

When finding content, the Social curator pulls from social and user-generated channels, such as YouTube or Twitter, and when sharing, he does so via social media channels, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. And like any good party planner, he makes connections by placing high value on ensuring all companies, people, etc are properly tagged.

Another key aspect to the Social curator is encouraging users to comment and providing his own thoughts by actively participating in dialogue that emerges The Social curator’s job is never done, though, because he works constantly to increase audience numbers and the depth of their engagement.

If You’re Enterprising…

Enterprising people are the leaders, influencers and persuaders of the world. They want the world to know who they are and what they think. So for Enterprising curators, the main goal is often to establish thought leadership.

The way Enterprising curators do this is through plenty of original content—and ensuring that content expresses a provocative point of view or a persuasive analysis of a key industry topic. When she does curate content, the Enterprising curator will be happiest when that content is from other peers and thought leaders that she respects. The content should also be easily be linked back to a specific business goal.

If You’re Conventional…

The Conventional person is the opposite of the Artistic. He’s organized, data-driven and a fan of crunching numbers. So his style of curation is traditional, but by no means boring. This means finding, organizing and sharing content always takes the average amount of time, about 20 minutes, and never much more or less.

He focuses mostly on third-party content curation, rather than original content development, so he can share information quickly and concisely. For Conventional curators, one aspect of curation that is most fulfilling you is the analytics offered with many technologies today—because seeing how users interact with a microsite and content allows them to improve relevancy and performance moving forward.

If You’re Realistic…

Realistic people are no-nonsense do-ers. They prefer technical, outdoor, and athletic pursuits that contribute to a goal. For realistic curators, this translates into a straightforward, yet effective approach to curation. They make the curation process part of each and every morning routine—like a runner would her morning jog.

They also focus primarily on third-party content, but does develop original content on a regular basis. A Realistic curator generally creates an editorial calendar to stay on track even when other priorities keep her busy. And because curators of this type are pragmatic, they know that traditional channels—like a microsite or website feed—are highly effective ways to reach their audiences when sharing content.

What type are you? Comment below with the strategies and qualities you’ve found most effective for aligning your innate qualities with your role as a curator.





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