Digital jobs of the future, part 1: Content curator

Rohit Bhargava, author of the best-selling marketing book Personality Not Included and whose blog is ranked as one of the top 50 marketing blogs on the planet, has recently written a manifesto for what he labels "the next big social media job of the future": content curator.

A content curator, according to Bhargava, "is someone who continually finds, groups, organizes and shares the best and most relevant content on a specific issue online. The most important component of this job is the word ‘continually.'...  (It is s)omeone whose job it is not to create more content, but to make sense of all the content that others are creating. To find the best and most relevant content and bring it forward."

He predicts that the future of the social web will be driven by content curators, who "will help to add a voice and point of view to organizations and companies that can connect them with customers - creating an entirely new dialogue based on valued content rather than just brand created marketing messages."

There are already a few people performing this task for companies, and it will only grow in importance. The problem I see with content curating is that most companies find it hard to place much value on the role. Although it requires a skill set that combines the sharp mind of a research analyst with the communications flair of a journalist and the commercial nous of a marketer, curating content, like creating content, often attracts a wage more akin to a junior administrator.

Do you think there's a role for content curators? What should they be paid?

Full Story here: http://blog.s2m.com.au/index.php/2009/10/digital-jobs-of-the-future-part-1-content-curator/

David Jackson is managing director for S2M Digital www.s2m.com.au