Curate This!

Do you ever feel like you're drowning in information—emails, tweets, articles, videos—without any sense of what's important? In Curate This! The Hands-On, How-To Guide to Content Curation, Steven Rosenbaum argues that the key to surviving and thriving in today’s digital flood is curation—the conscious act of selecting, organizing, and contextualizing content so that meaning can emerge from chaos. He contends that those who understand how to curate information, rather than merely produce or share it, will become the crucial guides of our information age.

Rosenbaum frames curation as both an artistic and ethical endeavor. It’s artistic because curation requires taste, judgment, and creative synthesis. It’s ethical because it depends on attribution, fairness, and respect for creators. Above all, he sees it as deeply human—an activity that no algorithm can replicate because it demands empathy and perspective.

From Information Abundance to Meaningful Selection

Curation is Rosenbaum’s antidote to what Clay Shirky famously called “filter failure.” Whereas traditional filters—editors, gatekeepers, and algorithms—either block too much or let too much through, a skilled curator uses human judgment to cut through the noise. The curator doesn’t just collect interesting content; they weave connections between disparate pieces to reveal patterns and insights. This process transforms raw data into wisdom—a crucial skill in a time when, as Rosenbaum notes, “viewers don’t want more content; they want less.”

Rosenbaum makes an important distinction early on: curation is not aggregation, and it’s certainly not theft. A true curator offers context, commentary, and narrative cohesion, turning scattered materials into a new creative expression. In this sense, curators are not merely editors or compilers—they are creators of meaning.

Why Curation Matters Now

We live in an era where everyone is a potential media producer. Smartphones and social platforms have democratized creation, but access hasn’t automatically created coherence. The result is an overwhelming glut of voices and ideas. Rosenbaum argues that this abundance requires a new kind of leadership—curators who provide clarity, relevance, and authority amid the din. They are today’s editors, community leaders, and brand storytellers, helping audiences make sense of what matters.

Curation also has a commercial side. From BuzzFeed to Upworthy, from Pinterest to Brain Pickings, entire businesses have been built on the intelligent selection and rediscovery of existing content. Brands are also using curation to engage their audiences with contextual experiences rather than one-way advertising. Rosenbaum predicts this “curation economy” will continue to expand as consumption habits evolve across media platforms.

The Human Heart of Curation

At the core of Rosenbaum’s philosophy is the belief that curation is inherently human. Algorithms can recommend, but only humans can discern meaning. A curator’s voice, trust, and taste are irreplaceable assets. When people choose a curator to follow—be it a blogger, podcaster, or influencer—they are delegating part of their attention filter to someone whose judgment they respect. This personal connection, Rosenbaum suggests, is the new social contract of the digital age.

He also warns of the ethical responsibilities that come with this role: giving credit, adhering to fair use, and balancing one’s influence with community participation. The modern curator must be both teacher and moderator, shaping conversation without monopolizing it. In this respect, Rosenbaum blends ideas from journalism, marketing, and design into a single craft that values both voice and service.

From Creation to Curation—and Back Again

Ultimately, Rosenbaum sees curation as part of a continuum between creation and consumption. Every act of curation—selecting, organizing, framing—creates something new. Each curated collection adds another layer to the cultural conversation, enabling creators and audiences to evolve together. In this light, curators are both consumers and makers: they recycle content, but with a transformative twist.

“Curation,” writes Rosenbaum, “is the act of creating something new, coherent, and meaningful out of related ideas and information.”

This holistic definition sets the tone for the book. In the chapters that follow, Rosenbaum explores the traits of great curators, the difference between editing and curating, the legal and moral questions of using others’ content, the impact of curation on SEO and monetization, and the importance of community and context. Together, they offer a playbook for anyone who wants not only to survive in the information age—but to lead it.

Rosenbaum begins his practical journey with an essential question: Are you a curator, and should you be one? He provides a compelling case that curation is less a job title and more a mindset—a combination of curiosity, leadership, and creative synthesis. Whether you’re a journalist, teacher, brand strategist, or simply an engaged citizen of the web, being a curator means standing at the crossroads of creation and discovery, helping others make sense of the ever-expanding flood of data.

The Traits of a True Curator

According to Rosenbaum, great curators share certain defining traits. First, they are makers—people who have creative experience and a distinctive voice. Curation is not mere collection; it’s creative recombination. Having a creator’s mindset helps curators link unrelated ideas, find surprising juxtapositions, and inject originality into the mix. This distinguishes them from mere collectors or aggregators.

Second, curators must be leaders. They guide audiences through complexity, taking a stance and signaling what matters. This authority comes not from volume but from discernment. Followers choose curators whose integrity and taste resonate with their values, much as museum visitors trust a curator’s eye when walking through an exhibit.

Curation Across Boundaries

Effective curators don’t confine themselves to one medium. They forage across platforms—Twitter threads, Reddit discussions, YouTube videos, Pinterest boards, academic journals—and connect dots others might miss. Rosenbaum describes them as “digital mixologists,” able to blend diverse ingredients into an experience that feels fresh and coherent. They are bridge-builders between worlds, shaping the cross-media literacy our time demands.

For example, Rosenbaum references how platforms like Pinterest or Tumblr empower curators to create aesthetic or thematic trails across visual media. The art lies in turning fragments into a larger narrative, not just reposting content wholesale. The curator’s value derives from taste, timing, and trust.

Voice, Context, and Community

Rosenbaum insists that “voice” is central to effective curation. Your audience should sense who you are through your framing, commentary, and sensibility—even when you’re primarily sharing others’ work. He warns that curators who lack a defined voice risk becoming invisible, their audience drifting toward more distinctive personalities. Curation, then, isn’t neutral—it’s expressive and relational.

Another vital piece of the puzzle is community. Rosenbaum envisions curation as a two-way process in which members contribute ideas, links, and debate. The curator is a listener-leader: firm in vision but open to conversation. As communities evolve, so too must curators—balancing creative authority with responsiveness. The most successful curators not only moderate data, they moderate people.

From Collector to Thought Leader

Ultimately, Rosenbaum argues that curation transforms makers into thought leaders. Rather than just publishing your own material, you become a trusted resource—someone known for cutting through confusion and highlighting patterns of meaning. In an age where attention is the scarcest currency, a curator’s greatest gift is clarity. As Rosenbaum puts it, “Viewers don’t want more content, they want less.” By filtering the firehose into insight, you give your audience something infinitely valuable: time and understanding.

One of Rosenbaum’s most striking arguments challenges the long-standing assumption that curation is simply a new term for editing. In traditional media, editors have long served as the arbiters of quality and coherence. Yet, Rosenbaum argues that curators operate on a fundamentally different plane—closer to DJs or art museum curators than newsroom editors. Understanding this distinction is vital if we’re to appreciate the novelty of digital curation.

The Editor’s Domain

Editors work within pre-existing frameworks of authorship. Their job is to refine, fact-check, and shape a creator’s output to meet professional and stylistic standards. An editor serves both the writer and the audience, mediating between them to ensure clarity and coherence. In journalism, editing is a behind-the-scenes craft—invisible but essential.

The Curator’s Domain

By contrast, curators operate in a world of abundance rather than scarcity. Their materials are already published, scattered, and diverse. They work across creations, not within them. The curator selects and arranges finished artifacts to reveal a larger narrative or theme. In doing so, they become authors in their own right. The curator’s loyalty lies primarily with the audience—the people seeking guidance in a maze of content.

To illustrate, Rosenbaum likens curators to DJs such as Girl Talk, who sample and recontextualize music to produce entirely new compositions. Similarly, a digital curator might juxtapose a policy report, a meme, and a YouTube clip to tell a story about climate anxiety. The creative act lies in the arrangement.

Creation in Context

Rosenbaum highlights an important cultural shift: we live in an “era of editorial abundance.” With billions of creators publishing daily, what we need are not more editors pruning single voices, but curators constructing meaning from the multiplicity. This aligns with trends thinkers like Clay Shirky and Seth Godin have noted—audiences now crave synthesis, not just production. In Rosenbaum’s view, curation is not an add-on to journalism; it’s the next evolution of it.

“If editors refine a topic, curators define it,” Rosenbaum writes. “Filtering meaning from the maelstrom is a new and essential role.”

In this framework, editors remain vital but insufficient. They improve work; curators interpret the world. As media continues to decentralize, Rosenbaum suggests, the curator’s role will only grow in importance—both as a cultural translator and as a guardian of relevance.

One of the most pressing concerns for curators is ethical: how can you use others’ content responsibly? Rosenbaum dedicates an entire chapter to navigating the legal and moral complexities of copyright, attribution, and fair use. His goal is not to frighten would-be curators but to clarify that ethical curation strengthens, rather than restricts, creativity.

The Three Actors

Rosenbaum frames curation as a “three-legged stool” built on the relationships between the creator, the curator, and the consumer. The creator produces the raw content, the curator organizes and contextualizes it, and the consumer benefits from clarity and connection. Ideally, this is a symbiotic relationship where each party gains value—visibility for the creator, reputation for the curator, and knowledge for the consumer.

Ten Best Practices for Ethical Curation

• Excerpt, don’t lift: Only quote small sections; never reproduce entire works.
• Always attribute: Give full credit and link back to the source.
• Add context: Explain why the content matters and how it fits your audience’s needs.
• Respect images: Use licensed or Creative Commons visuals.
• Use links ethically: Avoid “no-follow” tags that steal SEO credit from the original creator.
• Stay brief: Make excerpts proportional—“enough to explain, not to replace.”

He also underscores that fair use exists to protect freedom of expression, not to excuse piracy. Drawing from scholars Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi, Rosenbaum highlights how fair use allows creators to quote, critique, or remix culture while maintaining the balance between intellectual property rights and the First Amendment. As Aufderheide puts it, “All culture has always been remix culture.”

A Culture of Generosity

Ultimately, ethical curation is about courtesy and contribution. By acknowledging others’ work and adding your own perspective, you become part of a shared creative dialogue. In Rosenbaum’s view, the future belongs to those who respect both sides of copyright: the right to protect original work and the right to build upon it. Curation done well isn’t taking—it’s giving.

Curation isn’t just an art form—it’s also a powerful engine for visibility. In the digital ecosystem, where algorithms shape discovery, Rosenbaum explores how curated content can dramatically improve search engine optimization (SEO) when executed properly. The secret lies in originality, authority, and value.

Curated Content and SEO Synergy

Rosenbaum describes a study by Bruce Clay, an SEO expert, that tested different blends of original and curated content. Results showed that pages with thoughtful commentary and unique framing performed as well as, or better than, purely original posts. In short: robots reward humans. Google’s algorithms increasingly value pages that demonstrate insight and community engagement rather than hollow duplication.

The Keys to Searchable Curation

• Add at least 200 words of original analysis to every curated post.
• Draw from diverse, reputable sources to establish authority.
• Prioritize value and selectivity—less noise, more clarity.
• Encourage sharing; social validation boosts rankings.
• Avoid “link hoarding” or manipulating search engines; focus on people, not bots.

By staying human-centered—writing for your audience, not algorithms—you enhance both SEO and trust. The best curators understand that optimization follows authenticity. The takeaway: relevance is the new currency of visibility.

Rosenbaum moves from the individual to the collective, asking: can communities themselves become curators? He examines how platforms like Reddit, Digg, and Curalytics prove that crowds can surface valuable content—if guided correctly. Community curation channels the wisdom of many through participatory selection.

From Reddit to Curalytics

Reddit’s system of upvotes and karma exemplifies democratic curation. Users collectively highlight “what’s worth your time.” Curalytics builds on this idea by analyzing members’ taste patterns to identify “taste leaders.” These emergent curators influence community perception, showing how networks evolve around reputational filters rather than formal hierarchies.

The Hybrid Model

Rosenbaum envisions a hybrid approach: strong curators who lead, and communities that co-curate. He cites publisher Joe Wikert’s model where community experts curate from behind paywalls, creating “must-read” summaries for subscribers. In niche or professional sectors where time equals money, this service model transforms curation into a premium economy.

The broader lesson: you can build powerful ecosystems around shared taste. Give your audience the right tools—voting, tagging, or collaboration—and they’ll help you refine the conversation. As Rosenbaum notes, “The power of your community can be harnessed, amplified, and organized around curation.”

You’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king,” but Rosenbaum flips the script: context is the true ruler of the digital world. Great curation is not just about collecting; it’s about connecting—to your subject, your audience, and the cultural moment in which your work appears.

Understanding Context

To provide context, you need deep knowledge—of both your topic and your readers’ psyche. Rosenbaum references experts like Heidi Cohen and Price Waterhouse Coopers’ Digital Pulse team, who emphasize tailoring media to the consumption behaviors of modern audiences. A strategy that ignores medium, mood, or device fails, no matter how strong the content.

Cultural and Visual Relevance

Visual design, timing, and emotional tone all shape meaning. The same story framed differently can inspire or alienate. Curators should think like art directors—aware of how adjacent items interact and how headlines, thumbnails, and layout establish a psychological rhythm. This is especially crucial in a world of visual feeds like Instagram or YouTube, where attention hinges on aesthetics as much as substance.

The Relationship Economy

Rosenbaum argues that relationship is the deepest form of context. Your audience doesn’t just consume; they co-create meaning. Maintaining dialogue and feedback loops lets you adjust tone and focus over time. When you continually learn from your followers, you don’t just curate for them—you curate with them.

Eventually, every curator faces a pragmatic question: how do you make a living from this? Rosenbaum closes the book by exploring models of curation monetization, showing that doing good work and earning money are not mutually exclusive. The key, he insists, is to control your platform—and therefore, the click.

Own the Platform

Echoing marketer Scott Scanlon, Rosenbaum warns: if you curate only on rented land (Facebook, YouTube, etc.), you build value for others, not yourself. Owning your website or newsletter means owning your data, traffic, and monetization stream. Whoever controls the click, controls the profit.

Revenue Models for Curators

• Advertising: Display ads, sponsorships, and native content can work when aligned with audience interests.
• Subscriptions: Premium curated newsletters or gated communities (similar to the Wall Street Journal or The Information).
• Ecommerce: Affiliate links or curated product recommendations integrated with niche topics.
• Mailing lists and syndication: Build trust relationships and license content cross-platform.

He points to successful examples like Birchbox and Zappos’s curated commerce divisions, which merge editorial content with shopping experiences. These models demonstrate that audiences will pay attention—and sometimes pay money—for trusted filters that save them time and effort.

Curators are no longer pirates or hobbyists; they are key players in the digital economy. But sustainability requires ethics, ownership, and innovation. Rosenbaum’s final message is clear: the future belongs to those who curate with authenticity, context, and a business model that supports both.