Content curation is how we make sense of the web today. And there are tremendous opportunities for brands, if we pay attention to the way consumers are connecting through shared interests (aka – interest graphs). To explore these opportunities, let’s look at content curation in three categories:

1. Consumers as curators.

Everything is curated now. We view the world through filters – trusted sources like friends or online communities to which we belong. ‘I want to look at topic X through your lens because you are someone I trust.’

It’s almost difficult to pluck examples of curated experiences because they are so deeply woven into the fabric of our daily routines online – everything is curated. If you’re reading this blog post, you most likely subscribe to the blog’s feed (“I want to hear from Dachis Group.”) or you arrived via the recommendation of a friend on Facebook , Twitter, Google+, etc.  (“I am interested in this topic and know that my friend John passes along good information.”).

A strong emerging platform and fun example is Pinterest. Warning: it’s highly addictive and may decrease your productivity during the workday. Pinterest is a highly visual social bookmarking site. Users catalog images of things they love plucked from around the Web in different categories on “trend boards.”

Brands can use Pinterest to identify influencers and advocates. Who is talking about your brand? How are your products being categorized and shared among influencers? And be sure to check out the trend boards on Pinterest. They represent potential engaging and relevant content for you to adopt.

2. Brands as content.

This one is simple. Consumers use your brands to express themselves.

Therefore brands have to provide variety and portability if they want to show up in their customers’ content stream. By allowing people access to the raw material of your brand, they can better identify with your products and amplify your messages.

For example, many consumers “Like” brands on Facebook because they want that particular brand to show up as part of their profile. In a sense, ‘brands as content’ is why social media has been able to become such a force in our everyday lives. Consumers are willing to let brands into their lives for the value received in return, and much of that value has to deal with the simple association between consumer and brand.

3. Brands as curators.

Proper positioning allows brands to apply their expertise, act as smart filters and become the go-to destination on certain topics. This is what we’re all striving for.

Think back to Pinterest. Brands like Nordstrom and HGTV have recognized the power of actually having profiles on Pinterest to curate cool products and ideas relating to their brand identities.

Remember the early days of the web? Users were left to wander down whatever dark alleys of the Internet they stumbled upon (and some of them were dark indeed). The rise of search engines made content discover a more precise practice. Today, content curation allows good content to surface itself to us.

Content curation is a hugely important new consumer mode in the social (and digital) space. Brands have a great opportunity to provide content for curators to use, as well as become curators themselves.