When I think about Content Curation, I think about sites like StumbleUpon, ScoopIt, TrapIt, Pinterest and sometimes Digg. Of course there are many sites out there including Curata, CurationSoft, Google+, Storify, PearlTrees, MySyndicaat, Curatedby, Storyful, Evri, Paperli, Pearltrees, Scribit and Magnify that I could use, but I have chosen the sites that have caught my attention, proven value to me, and that I am personally comfortable with. Many of these sites are free to join and use. Content curation is where I can have all of the things that I am interested in delivered to me in a sifted and funneled manner. I do not use search engines much anymore because these sites have already done the research for me. So what do I get? I get a wealth of information on topics I am interested in including Social Media, Technology, Robots, SOPA-PIPA-CISPA, Conferences, Twitter, Facebook, Education and whatever else I want to know. And I love Infographics, they are like an educational cartoon to me, so Pinterest comes into play many times on that end. I also curate a lot of inspirational quotes through their search feature while I am pinning.

But when it comes down to high quality “content curation” – business information that I want to delivered to my screen in moments, I usually go to Trap.It, Scoop.It and StumbleUpon.com. All of them are similar in some ways, but all have unique features that attract me, keep my attention and educate me daily.

StumbleUpon hooks me with the surprise factor. For example, I can search “Technology” and a page that they recommend is delivered to my screen. Sometimes it is not exactly what I was expecting, but I am like “Wow, Nice!” And it is something I would not have normally clicked on, so it opens my horizons and expands my education greatly. I click the “Stumble” button, and another new post of interest appears. There is also a great social sharing bar on the top of the page that shares and instantly adds the links to my su.pr link shortening and tracking page.

Once I set my preferred topics of interest on TrapIt, I can go to my main screen and see the best of all of them. So I get a magazine style digital newspaper in front of me with everything I want to know. I can also click on a specific individual topic and they “Trap” or curate many articles to one page for me, I click on the title or photo of the article I am interested in, it opens the post, and I am ready to study and learn. The ease of use and how much information I am able to cover is amazing. I really enjoy the top  sharing bar which makes it easy for me to grab the link directly, or instantly share it by clicking on the Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Facebook & Email button.

The public online magazine I create, share and use is ScoopIt. I can set up a page quickly with any themed title and info I wish. These are called “My Curated Topics”. When I click on a topic such as social media, I get brought to a page of about 20 articles that match my exact interest. I am able to scan the list of titles, descriptions and photos; click on them, read and then share them on social platforms such as Facebook, WordPress, Twitter, Tumblr & LinkedIn. I can also share my public Scoop.it page and others can see and explore all of the great stories I have Scooped! Scoopit also has a built in social networking feature which allows me to meet others and follow the online Curated Topic magazines they have created.

The list goes on an on with the features of all of these great Content Curation and Distribution sites. And they continue to evolve as they receive data and learn about the information we want and the ways we want this content delivered. Humans determine the algorithm. Education has become so much easier for everyone, from the newbie to the pro. Thank you.

Listen to this Spark Tech Talk podcast below featuring Oliver Hsiang from StumbleUpon, Guillaume Decugis from ScoopIt, & Gary Griffiths from TrapIt. Content Curation & Distribution is King!

Also see Project Glass on Google+

In addition to that, I can click on any topic and a full page of different articles from many sources around that topic are displayed. I can find out the latest and greatest about Robots, iPhone, Patent Wars, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Hispanicize & so much more.

There is also the dropdown menu on the top left that takes me to any of the key topics that I have previously “Trapped” allowing me easy access to a wealth of information. And people wonder why I am so smart and up-to-date haha!

When you click on any article to read it in full, it appears with a great sharing bar on the top of the screen that allows you to easily share this content via Email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest. Check it out…

And from what I have heard, Trap.it is getting ready to grow again, with additional features including a page of everything I have Trapped! Cant wait to add an “!t” button to the top of my website so folks can easily click & see the great articles I am Trapping

Great things are happening in the social media and technology World, and the Latino World is moving forward with leaps and bounds thanks to Hispanicize. From April 10th – 13th people will be coming from all over the globe to be at this incredible event in Miami Florida. On this podcast is Manny Ruiz – the Founder of Hispanicize, Karen Comas – the Social Media Manager at Telemundo, & Lynn Ponder – the Founder of Web City Girls. What is Hispanicize? Think of it as a mini version of SXSW with a Latin twist. WEPA!!!

This year (2012) Asheville North Carolina is going to SXSW to show tech companies and start-ups just how cool it is to be an Ashevillian. The quality of life here is beyond compare when looking for outdoors, diversity, arts, music, entertainment, food, and not to mention… we are BEER CITY USA! We need more jobs in the area. Companies that want to dip into the enormous talent pool of Asheville & Western North Carolina.

In addition to that, a representative of Asheville based Spark Tech Talk will be on the SXSW floor, making connections and gathering media. SparkTT also has a conference call to podcast planned featuring SXSW as the topic.

Meet the Sponsors of Spark Tech Talk

I put together a media team that consisted of several Asheville photographers including Micah Mackenzie, Gray Artus, Jackson Stahl and Audrey Goforth; and videographers which included Amplified Media and Jaxhouse Productions. I was on the Ignite Tweet controls

Just a couple of days before IgniteAVL, I was listening in on an interview with Ignite co-founder Brady Forrest, Oden Hughes and Tim Arthur. A great red carpet into what I was about to experience. Here is the interview on a Spark Tech Talk podcast:

Listen to Steve Wozniak on Spark Tech Talk:

I guess some men were feeling a little left out on Pinterest. With a demographic of 80% women and 20% men, it is definitely female dominated. Now there is a boys club social photo sharing platform on the scene called Gentlemint, created by Glen Stansberry & Brian McKinney. Their slogan… “Gentlemint is a mint of manly things” and I already feel more manly just from going to their website lol, just kidding

But I have just signed up for an invite and will have an updated story when they approve me. Also, see my post on Pinterest & Social Media. ]]> http://gsocialmedia.com/2012/02/pinterest-for-men-meet-gentlemint/feed/ 0 http://gsocialmedia.com/2012/02/pinterest-social-media/ http://gsocialmedia.com/2012/02/pinterest-social-media/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:28:00 +0000 gsocialmedia http://gsocialmedia.com/archives/702

As many of you have heard, Pinterest is moving fast on the social media scene. It is a simple, photo social sharing website. Companies such as Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket are most likely grinding their teeth, wondering how this creative picture platform appeared out of nowhere and zoomed right by them in popularity and web traffic.

I remember the first time I heard of Pinterest from Betsy of Frock Boutique. She told me face to face (in-person social media) how much she was hooked on it and how much fun it was. I told her I am going to check into it and put in on my schedule. Now, I find myself scheduling time on it daily, and I am currently building it into several social media strategies for companies I am working with.

The curating factor is big in the social world! I jump on Pinterest and have a bunch of my personally chosen topics to view, with hundreds and thousands of photos and info from all around the world. I can also type in any topic I wish to view in the search box and BAM – all of the posts from a worldwide community show up in seconds. Scoop.it, another one of my favorite curation and social sharing sites, does something similar with press releases, articles and blog posts.

My main business, information and education topics that I am building on Pinterest are Social Media & Technology; but you can also see my collection of Sayings, For the Home, Art, Fashion and several more. The social part of this is allowing others to see the great compilations that you have pinned, put together and shared. Then they can Pin what you posted or repinned, and like & comment on your pin. They can also repost/repin and share it on Twitter or Facebook at the same time if they choose to. One of the great features I am using is the “Pin It” button that I have added to my Chrome browser. I can be on any web page anywhere, click it, and Pin up the photo that is on that page. So I am not just allowed to Pin and Share my own content; but anyone else’s as well.

The Infographic world has definitely gotten a boost with Pinterest! My social media board is FULL of great information using educational graphics/infographics.

After you have some fun, using it for business is the next step. Maybe making a photo board of the folks at the office making crazy faces and adding it to your Humor board. Travel photos can also be great. For example: a photo of me at The Bund in Shanghai China can be tagged “Gary from G Social Media goes to China,” link to my site, and add it to my Travel board. How about using a baby and taking a photo of them with your company hat on, and adding it to your Cute board? What about coupon sites taking their coupons, making them a little more interesting with Photoshop, and posting for others to see, share and save money? How about a picture of an incredible dish your restaurant makes, adding a recipe with it, and posting it to your Foodie board? Photography creativity and sharing has definitely taken a BIG step up!

I have a reciprocal habit of going to the profile page of anyone who follows me on Pinterest, checking out what boards they have, and following the ones that I am interested in. You should too. Check me out and follow my boards if they interest you at all: G Social Media on Pinterest.com. Thanks! ]]> http://gsocialmedia.com/2012/02/pinterest-social-media/feed/ 0