Scoop.it – Content Curation Tool, Building Authority
by DiTesco on November 1, 2011
I recently received an invite from Ileane of BasicBlogTips to sign-up for a content curation platform called Scoop.it. I have to admit that Ileane never stops to amaze me, as whenever she recommends something like this, it is almost certain that I will like it. Anyway, thanks Ileane for the invite, you rock!
So, first things first.
What Is Content Curation (definition)?
Good question and my quest to find an easy to understand definition of the term yielded very little results. I did however come across GetCurata.com which defines a content curator like this:
A Content Curator is someone who continually finds, groups, organizes and shares the best and most relevant content on a specific issue online.
I guess the above definition should shed a bit more of light about content curation, if you are quite new to the subject.
Which reminds me, do you have a different definition of content curation?
What Is Scoopt.it?
Scoop.it is a content curation platform, where users can curate information about any topic they want. Once you sign up, you will be able to create a topic of your choice (no limits) and start curating information. The site is geared towards providing users a very quick and easy way to “scoop” any information that you feel is relevant to the topic you have chosen. There are several ways you can do this, the easiest being via a drag and drop tool that you add directly on your browser.
For example, one of the topics I created is called Small Business Bites And Social Media. It does not have a lot on info yet (just started some hours ago), but this should give you an idea on how a page looks like. Actually reminds me a bit like Paper.li.
Scoop.it does not stop there. It actually has an important social element, as users can suggest relevant links that they think you may want to include or review. It also allow you to integrate with several social networks (FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), and micro-blogging platforms such as Tumblr. You can also define Scoop.it to integrate information directly on your WordPress site, if you want.
Anyway, here is a video presentation about Scoop.it. It gives you a great overview about Scoop.it.
What Are The Advantages Of Content Curation?
To be an effective curator of a certain topic, I am of the opinion that you have to not only love it, but also know how to “identify” valuable information. By providing real value to the community and doing things properly, you can at a certain point, be considered as an authority of the subject matter, thus allowing you to build more relationships, increase your social engagement, build your brand, etc. Curated content on Scoop.it can be shared, liked, get +1s, and more. You can share just about anything you want from posts, to images and even videos. Just be sure that they are in fact related to the topic you have chosen, and remember that you can create unlimited number of topics.
In addition, I am not so sure (yet) as to what effect can this have on your SEO Marketing campaign. I did notice that the topics you create generate a “unique” URL and the pages links directly to the sources of the information. What I really like about the tool is that you can edit the information of a post and change whatever you want. I tried doing that for one video I had on YouTube, and I added another link, which was accepted. If that link will have any juice at all, remains to be seen, but unless I am over the top, it could also be used for “mild” link building campaign.
That’s it! I have not yet figured out how to send invites, but if you are interested, let me know so I can send you one when I finally discover it. I think I have to reach a certain level first before that. We’ll see. Anyway, if you head over to Scoop.it, just hit the invite button and provide the info requested. I heard that you should be approved in 48 hours tops. And Oh, did I mention that it is a free service? For now at least.
UPDATE: Scoop.it private beta has been successfully completed! As of today (3/Nov/2011), the free public version is open to everyone. Invites are no longer required. Wooot!CONTENT CURATION SOFTWARE: Perhaps I can get you interested with a software that you can use to curate content. CurationSoft is a tool that you can use to curate content and integrates directly with popular platforms such as WordPress, Drupal, Blogger, etc… You can even use it on Google+! The free version is awesome, being limited only to the “number” of sources that you can use to search for quality content. Either than that, its fully functional and it could be very useful to have in your arsenal. Download the free software here (ref link).
You May Also Like:
- Best Free Content Curation Tools 2012
- Content Curation: The Next Big Thing?
- SpeedLink 42/2011, Content Curation, Klout, Blogging, Online Business
- Speedlink 47/2011, Motivation, Content Curation, SEO, Twitter & More
- Speedlink 46/2011, Social Media World, Content Curation, SEO and More
Article by DiTesco
+DiTesco is a Business Consultant, an Online Entrepreneur and founder of iBlogzone. iBlogzone's main objective is to help you achieve success in your online ventures. iBlogzone does this by providing internet users the necessary resources and tools to help you build a profitable home based business. DiTesco is also a co-founder of WordPressJunkies.net. | More About Me.
has written 429 articles at iBlogzone.com
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: faissalhaithami
November 1, 2011 at 10:23 pm
WOW This is Amazing, Just imagine How this tool going to help a lot of people and save our time
Please if you figured out how to send invites, Test it on me lol^^
Thanks for sharing this great tool..
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Twitter: ditesco
November 2, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Hi Faissal. Glad you liked tool. To be honest, I would have not found it, if it were not for Ileane
Anyway, if there is someone who can put this tool to good use, that would be you. Will look at the invites and see how that works, and will definitely send you one if I figure it out 
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Twitter: ditesco
November 3, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Hi Faissal. Post has been updated.. As of today, invites are no longer required. Just to give you a heads up
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Twitter: faissalhaithami
November 10, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Thanks a lot DiTesco I just got my account..
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I agree with you faissal, it will defiantly gonna save our time and its the most important thing these days for us because we are involve in multi task and dont get proper time to a perticular work. Thanks DiTesco for sharing this.
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Twitter: csc4u
November 2, 2011 at 1:38 am
Hi DiTesco, I got a similar email from Ileane yesterday. She said, “Hey Brian! Scoop.it is a cool way to curate content. You should give it a try. Let me know if you like it”. Like you I was looking at that message wondering what in the World is it to curate content. If Ileane said I should try it then I knew I should look into it.
Also like you, as soon as I clicked the link I thought of Paper.li. I setup a profile and a topic, Hot Blog Tips, (Thanks for the follow BTW) and then spent nearly two hours checking out all the content it was offering. I was amazed at the number of very cool sites on blogging that I never heard of. I think Scoopt.it is going to be one of my favorite resources when it comes to expanding my list of regular blogs to visit. I already added over a dozen new feeds yesterday to my reader and that just scratches the surface.
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Twitter: ditesco
November 2, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Hi Brian. Yep, exactly the same message I got from Ileane. Maybe if she reads this, she can tell us how to send those invites
Saw your HBT and it is really awesome. Like you, I have spent an hour os so yesterday trying to “discover” the platform. It an be addicting indeed. Thanks for stopping by.
Reply
Hi DiTesco,
I’ve seen incoming links to my site from Scoop.it. I wanted to sign up, but as you’ve already stated, you need an invite. (Le sigh…)
Do you think it’s easy to work with? How long did it take you to do the Small Business Bites page above?
Dahlia
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Twitter: ditesco
November 2, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Hi Dahlia. I think I may be receiving some invites soon, so I’ll make sure you get one if you are interested
As for the ease of use, ooppss, I missed that one here, and that is really an important part of it. The answer? Very easy.. I’am not a tech guy and don’t usually spend to much hours trying to figure out how things work. Scoop.it is really easy to use and their FAQ is excellent, full of videos and more. The site above took me about a minute and a half to create. The difficult part was trying to figure out what topic will I want to be curating
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I’m definitely interested DiTesco, only if you can spare it. It’s not life or death, lol.
And thanks for letting me know how easy it was to build the site. That’s definitely an incentive for getting started.
Dahlia Valentine invites you to check out ..What kind of website traffic results can I expect from a press release?
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Twitter: ditesco
November 3, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Hi Dahlia. Post has been updated.. As of today, invites are no longer required. Just to give you a heads up
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I see… thanks DiTesco… signing up!
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Twitter: marketsecrets
November 4, 2011 at 12:27 am
I too found an incoming link from ScoopIt while looking at my WP stats and when I went to see what the site was it said I had to be logged in which usually turns me away, but after reading this post along with the fact I already got a backlink from the site tells me this is something I got to look into
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Twitter: opportplanet
November 2, 2011 at 7:29 am
It seems interesting, I would certainly like to get an invite from you when you find out how you can send an invite…
Kostas | Opportunities Planet
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Twitter: ditesco
November 3, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Hi Kostas. Good news! As of today, invites are no longer required. If you are interested in signing up, the sooner the better. Secure those great URLs
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Twitter: jonsenior1
November 2, 2011 at 9:14 am
Nice review – I will add you on scoop.it.
The other thing you have not mentioned is that you can network with other like minded people on scoop.it – because they tell you what they are interested in…
Find the big hitters in any industry…
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Twitter: ditesco
November 10, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Hi Jonathan. Sorry for the delay in my response. Indeed, Scoop.it goes way beyond just curating content. I agree with you that, done properly, it is great way to build relationships with like minded people. Thanks for stopping by
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Twitter: stevescott1
November 2, 2011 at 2:45 pm
DiTesco,
I have never been much in to content curation, preferring to make my own. But I must admit that this sounds like a pretty cool site. I’ll definitely be checking out playing with it for the next little bit. Thanks for the heads-up I must’ve missed the one Ileane sent.
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Twitter: ditesco
November 10, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Hi Steve. Sorry for responding a tad late. Scoop.it is now open for to the public and invites are no longer required. Anyway, since I have started using it, I already have seen some referrals coming from them. Not a lot but seeing some
Thanks for stopping by
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Twitter: eugenefarber
November 2, 2011 at 4:46 pm
A few of my posts on my new site got featured on Scoop.It. I was really intrigued by what it was because I’ve never heard of it before. It actually sent over some traffic to my site as well.