Content Curation World

Robin Good: Brett Sandusky attacks the "discovery" topic with simple, straight logic, analyzing what all the new startups and the new tech fanatics seem to systematically look over.

How can you help me discover new stuff, if you are intentionally limiting your exploratory gathering to algorithms and to, however varied, network of contacts?

She writes: "The discoverability problem in books is a challenge. It’s about connecting users to new and interesting titles, that they wouldn’t normally have seen. This last part bears repeating: …that they wouldn’t normally have seen.

Ultimately, the problem with all these discoverability sites is this: their algorithms (if they are even using an algorithm) are based on aggregate data in a one size fits all model.

The more people who read something, the more often it shows up in your recommendations. But, that’s not discoverability. That’s the NYT bestseller list. That’s Nielsen Bookscan telling you the top sales of the week.

Just because most of my friends are reading bestsellers (because, duh, whose aren’t? In fact, that seems to just reinforce the concept of the term “bestseller”) does that mean I should only be shown these titles?

Obviously, the answer is no. But, how do we get there?"

The answer is that we need a) more expert and qualified human intervention to unearth and pick new stuff, and b) behavioral data coupled with data collected on customer preference to allows us to connect those selected materials to the users in the system.

Rightful. Timely. 8/10

Find out: http://www.brettsandusky.com/2012/10/05/discover-me/

(Image credit: Josephine Wall - Discovery)

Robin Good: A great video animation introducing some of the key ideas, dreams and concepts behind content curation.

From the video: "One of the most beautiful things about the Internet is this sort of radical discovery, where you start in a place that you are familiar with, that you trust, and then you drill down and down and chase the white rabbit and then you end up in some wonderland you didn't know existed." 

The clip includes thoughts from some unique curators, picked and selected by Percolate, the company sponsoring this video. 

Inspiring. Insightful. 8/10

Find out more / watch original video: http://vimeo.com/38524181   

Robin Good: It really feels a bit awkard for me to point you to an article about me, but fate wanted that Jay Cross (e-learning - informal-learning senior explorer) and his curiosity to find out more about curation (something he admittedly he didn't think to have anything extra to learn about), led him to discover something "good".

I leave it to you to slide through this personal recount of how the discovery of my curated "presentation-map" led to such satisfying a-ah moments for Jay.

He writes: "Curation is a fine teacher.

Everyone should learn to curate — and share their interpretation of the world. We’re all in this together.

I’ve been ruminating about what people really need in their learning toolkit to be self-sufficient, effective, turned-on learners. I may write a book on it. Every independent learner needs these “pull skills.”

Building and maintaining one’s collection and personal gallery would teach a lot of skills and also yield a wonderful learning record / scrapbook / diary / album.

A good curator would not put up with the continual revisiting and forgetting that haunts the poor curator. What I wouldn’t give for a massive wiki of all the rules of thumb and information I’ve let slip through my fingers!"

Full article: http://www.internettime.com/2012/08/curation-education-and-robin-good/