Content Curation World

"Wonder was built to bring human-centric guidance back to the pursuit of knowledge on the web."

in other words: "Away from algorithmically sorted lists of links, and back to human-guided curation, evaluation and advice for those who don't need just a store address on a map".

Wonder is a new free web service which touts to be your online personal research assistant. Behind its minimalist website there's a crew of human beings that actually goes out to gather and bring back to you valuable answers and resources to your questions.

How does it work?

You just register via FB, Twitter or with your own email and then you are presented with a very simple screen in which you are asked "what are you wondering"?

You type in a question, and within a very reasonable amount of time (in my cases, in always less than 30 minutes) you receive a hand written email answer by a person with a first and last name. Not only. The person provides you also with multiple links to relevant resources that can help you find out and discover more about the topic of your interest.
 

Why it's relevant: Independently of the quality of the results that Wonder may initially bring to you, this new service highlights a growing trend toward trusted guides, expert curators of information, and their human voice and away from algorithmically sorted list of results like Google offers.

P.S.: In my initial tests a reply for a very specific question in one of my areas of expertise didn't bring back particularly valuable or useful suggestions as this knowledge would require an expert in the field, but less specialistic questions brought back useful responses written in a very human-style and supported by very high-quality relevant links and resources.

Here is one such question - answer as an example for you:

My Research Request:
How can I trust the answers provided by those behind Wonder if I know nothing about who they are?

Mike Smith reply:
Let me assure you, I am no robot. The resources curated by Wonder are compiled and collated by real human beings (such as myself) who take the time to sort through the vast amount of information available on the web.

I view the task of the Wonder researcher as being rather similar to that of your local librarian. And any good librarian isn't going to tell you how to think: they will present you with what knowledge and information they have available and arrange it in such a way that you must come to your own conclusion. Do you demand the librarian's credentials? Do you peruse their degrees and certifications? No, because her/his credentials lie in the quality of the work they have laid before you. Even if you detect bias or prejudice in what has been presented to you, then the curator's task has already been accomplished: you have assessed, for yourself, the quality of the information you have encountered and have honed your critical faculties that much more.

View Research

- Content curation (i.e. Wonder) is similar to consulting a librarian for literature on a particular subject

- Content curators (e.g. librarians) have empirically improved critical thinking skills in students

- Content curators (e.g. librarians) are tasked with fostering critical thinking in the evaluation of information sources

This is the future in preview.

Try it out and see what you think of it.
 

Free to use.

Try it out now: https://wonderlib.com/ 

Pluto.tv is a new web service which curates the best video clips available online by organizing content coming from YouTube and many other video sharing sites into thematic programs of 30 minutes each.

The interface is very similar to the one utilized by program guide viewers on standard cable TV.

Pluto.tv offers already more than 100 thematic video channels all curated by human beings.

My comment: An effective approach to surface great video content 

while delivering it in a familiar and consumable format.

 Available also as an app for iOS and Android.

Free to use.

Try it out now: http://pluto.tv 

Blinkist offers non-fictions book summaries that allow you to get key insights from any book in less than 15 minutes. 
 

"Blinks are powerful bites of insight from outstanding nonfiction. You can read a blink in less than two minutes..."

Each book summary is made up of about eight blinks. These

are intended as a beginning of a self-driven path toward learning, rather than a replacement for reading full books.

Blinks are all manually handwritten and can be easily accessed and read on any type of device and screen size. 

A great example of how skilled curation of existing content can not only provide a useful and in-demand service, but make it sustainable too.

Free 3-day trial available here: https://www.blinkist.com/en/signup/ 

Find out more: https://www.blinkist.com/en/ 

iOS app: http://www.blinkist.com/applink/ 

Movieclips.com is a curated collection of the best movie clips and trailers from thousands of films tha can be re-used, edited, legally shared and embedded on any web site. 

It is possible to search or browse the huge film clips catalog via a rich number of pre-set categories ranging from actors, to directors, move title, and many more.  by a wide number of categories all of the films available 

If you are looking for a specific movie quote, Movieclips can be invaluable in finding that memorable scene that would do perfect to complement your research or communication project.

If you search for a specific theme or word (e.g.: freedom) you can get instantly a list of films that include clips that cite that theme and provides all of them for immediate access.

Any available video clip is available in most cases in both SD and HD video quality, and it is possible to "trim" it to keep only a specific segment to be republished. A simple visual editor allows you to drag clip markers to establish the start and end of the part you are interested in. 

Any clip, can be shared directly to all major social media channels or embedded in a customizable player on any web site or blog.

Moveclips also has curated a gallery of Mashups, a TOP10 of the best clips available.

From any film clip you can access a relevant link to Netflix, Amazon or iTunes to buy, rent, purchase or stream that movie.

Movieclips is available online since 2011 but it looks like it is not being updated anymore. 

No registration or login required.

Free to use.

Try it out now: http://movieclips.com/ 

See what others have to said about Movieclips: http://movieclips.com/about/press/ 

More info: http://movieclips.com/about/team/