Social media content curation: a guide with a worked example

Curating social media content means choosing an outside source and adding an explanation that helps your audience use it. Before sharing a link, decide which question it answers and what someone can do with the information.

A source can help explain a platform change, demonstrate a process or answer a question. Your contribution is choosing what is relevant and connecting it to the people who read your account.

Start with the question, then find the source

For an account teaching accessible content, the question might be: “What should an image’s alt text describe?” That gives you a specific explanation to look for and helps you set aside references about other accessibility topics.

Look for whoever published the original information. If a news story cites a study, open the study; if a tool announces a feature, check its documentation. Review what it says, which situation it describes and whether it is still current. Keep the link so you can check it while writing.

Turn a reference into a full post

The W3C WAI informative images tutorial shows a guide dog wearing a bell on its collar. The nearby text explains what the bell is for; the alternative description adds where it appears. The example teaches how to decide what information an image contributes to the text.

We can turn that explanation into this proposed draft:

Before writing alt text, compare the photo with your post’s copy. What visual information still needs explaining? W3C WAI illustrates this with a dog and its bell: the text explains the bell’s purpose, while the description adds that it is on the collar. Try that review with your next image.

See the W3C WAI example.

The reference covers images on web pages. When applying the idea to a social network, check where it allows alt text and review the specific photo and copy. The social media accessibility article develops that review by format.

The draft keeps the attribution and adds a task the reader can try. It uses our own words and links to the original; publishing it does not require reuploading the tutorial’s photograph.

What you can add to the content you choose

You can show how to apply an idea, explain an often-missed condition or connect the source to a decision your audience needs to make. In the example, we suggest comparing the image and copy before writing the description. For an account about video production, a filming demonstration might be a more useful choice.

Return to the source with the finished draft. Check that your summary keeps its meaning and relevant conditions. If you add an interpretation, explain how you reached it; if you cite another brand’s result, keep its context and avoid presenting it as a promise for yours.

To reproduce someone else’s image or video, check the permission or license for that particular work. Credit identifies the author; it does not replace that check. Creative Commons explains its license conditions.

Keep enough to return to the source

The source log CSV includes the W3C example, the idea we use, the full post and the pending review. Open it in a spreadsheet and use the empty row for your next post.

Keep the log with the draft. Before scheduling it, reopen the link and confirm that your copy still reflects the reference. If your team created the original material and you want to turn it into other pieces, see the content repurposing article.