There is so much content now that even search is no longer efficient enough to get users to what they are looking for quickly. Curation by other users is more and more necessary to help filter through content.

1. Augustine Fou- 1 -
Curation is King
Dr. Augustine Fou
August 23, 2013
@acfou

2. Augustine Fou- 2 -
Evolution of the “Web”
content (site centric)
commerce (value centric)
search (topic centric)
social networks
social content
social search
social commerce
As each stage reaches
critical mass, the next
stage is tipped intopresent

3. Augustine Fou- 3 -
Executive Summary
“Given the explosion of content, even search
is no longer enough to efficiently get users to
the exact info they are seeking. Curation, on
top of search, is now necessary. Some call this
‘social search.’We are right at the beginnings
of this phase of the evolution of the internet.”
Augustine Fou- 3 -
-- Dr. Augustine Fou

4. Augustine Fou- 4 -
Websites (WebMD.com)
People used to go to specific websites for trusted content
• Websites organized
information around
specific topic areas
• The reputation of the site
conferred trustworthiness
to the content found on
the site.
• Users now start with
search and use other bits
of context to judge the
credibility of the info

5. Augustine Fou- 5 -
Community Filtered
People select items and vote to bubble up the good stuff
digg.com reddit.com

6. Augustine Fou- 6 -
Search (topic centric)People go to Google first, rather than type in domain names
Users prefer to use Google search to go directly to the deep page for 1)
Pepsi financial information, 2) Pepsi nutrition information, 3) sweepstakes

7. Augustine Fou- 7 -
Twitter
People follow certain “influencers” because they curate information
• Information gains
credibility when
tweeted by people
they trust

8. Augustine Fou- 8 -
#Hashtags
Information is organized based on interest, regardless of venue or
person tweeting it

9. Augustine Fou- 9 -
Pinterest
A curator selects items of interest, regardless of where it came from
Site A
Site B
Site C
Site D

10. Augustine Fou- 10 -
Bitly
http://digitalstrategyinstitute.com/
• uses bitly click info
to rank top digital
marketing stories
each day
Users share links and others click, indicating value

11. Augustine Fou- 11 -
Community Voted
http://www.tastespotting.com/
• community curates,
categorizes, and
prioritizes content
Users find and vote up beautiful images of food/drink

12. Augustine Fou- 12 -
SharesA more valuable story is one that gets shared most
# of shares

13. Augustine Fou- 13 -
Related Articles
New Organizing Principles
By: Augustine Fou, June 2012
Facebook Collections Bad News for Pinterest
By: Augustine Fou, October 2012
The Pinterest Myth
By: Augustine Fou, April 2012
Digg vs LinkedIn Today
By: Augustine Fou, October 2012
Facebook Advertising Metrics and Benchmarks
By: Augustine Fou, May 2009
Augustine Fou- 13 -

14. Augustine Fou- 14 -
Dr. Augustine Fou – Digital Consigliere
“I study trends and the evolution of user
habits and needs. Given the huge
explosion of content, curation on top of
search has become more and more
necessary to help users ‘get to the good
stuff.’”
FORMER CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER, HCG (OMNICOM)
MCKINSEY CONSULTANT
CLIENT SIDE / AGENCY SIDE EXPERIENCE
PROFESSOR AND COLUMNIST
ENTREPRENEUR / SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
PHD MATERIALS SCIENCE (MIT '95) AT AGE 23
@acfou
ClickZ Articles: http://bit.ly/augustine-fou-clickz
Slideshares: http://bit.ly/augustine-fou-slideshares
LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/augustinefou