Just as there is more to being a curator of fine art than hanging paintings on a wall, there is more to being a content curator than publishing a collection of articles on a website. The top content curators display a certain flair for uncovering the best articles and posts available and presenting them to an appreciative audience that may have never discovered them on their own.

Content curation in its simplest form is the process of sifting through volumes of web content, selecting only the best and the most meaningful, and presenting this material in an organized fashion that delivers genuine value to the reader.

Many consumers today have neither the time nor the temperament to dig up this valuable content for themselves, leaving it to content curators to assemble the best thinking of the brightest writers all in one convenient forum.

Curation is not the Same as Aggregation
Content aggregation is frequently confused with content curation. The difference between the two is in how the content is collected.

• Aggregation uses an algorithm to find and assemble suitable content.
• Curated content is handpicked, and frequently includes a brief introductory note from the curator. This human touch is often responsible for finding unique content that might otherwise fall through the cracks of an algorithm.

Today’s Best Content Curators
Without further ado, here’s an overview of the leading proponents of high-quality content curation.

1. The Huffington Post – One of the best known mainstream media content curators. Offers readers a mix of original content, links from around the Web, and reader-generated content.

2. LifeHacker – This is one of the original productivity blogs, whose motto reads “LifeHacker curates tips and tricks for living better in the digital age.” The curated articles vary widely in theme, and are balanced with content created in-house, syndicated material from other specialized platforms, and reader-generated tips and ideas.

3. io9 – A member of the Gawker Media blog family, io9 is dedicated to science, entertainment, and future culture. Content is concise and to the point, and contains plenty of quality images and visuals.

4. UpWorthy – A generic news site that presents articles with a unique spin through different points of view. UpWorthy is noted in some circles for the careful attention paid to creating story headlines.

5. 99u – This site offers career tips and advice, and curates content like productivity hacks, career advice for creative types, and time management tips. 99u routinely promotes conferences and events, which are very popular with its readers.

6. CMO.com – A must-read source for the digital marketing community, CMO.com curates content for the senior marketing executive.

7. Reddit – This is an extremely popular site that has made a name for itself by curating content that you generally won’t find anywhere else. Reddit makes effective use of crowdsourcing to present highly interesting and engaging content that keeps readers coming back for more.

8. The Monkey Cage – This blog is focused on publically available social science research, with a twist. Research that is socially relevant is curated and parallels drawn between society’s daily and political lives. The Monkey Cage does content curation well – the blog was listed in TIME’s Top 25 Blogs of 2012.

9. What Kate Wore – This blog has an unusually narrow focus: reporting on the outfits that the Duchess of Cambridge has worn. Aside from dissecting the Duchess’ public outfits, What Kate Wore links to events in the daily life of this member of the Royal Family.