Resources for Facebook content curation: Finding the "goodies" to share

In previous “Geeks for God” blog posts, we’ve stressed the importance for every congregation that is able to have a Facebook page. Facebook, the social media phenomenon, has become the world’s bulletin board and instant communication tool favored by millions – some of whom might be interested in what your congregation is all about.

Now, you’ve landed the job of being your congregation’s Facebook page administrator. And you’re running low on ideas for content. It’s a slow month, the rector’s on vacation, and there aren’t any milestone birthdays to be congratulated this week. What to do?

The good news is that original content is not the only way to make a Facebook page relevant. You can also be a content curator.

In The Social Media Gospel, Meredith Gould writes “There are essentially two ways to generate social media content. Either you develop and post original material or find existing goodies to share with others. People who develop original online content are known as ‘content creators.’ Those trolling the internet for interesting and useful tidbits are known as ‘content curators’ and, no joke, this is a real job position that librarians are especially well qualified to fill. Some people do both.” (p.42)

So how do you find those existing goodies? Some Facebook pages are easy places to start:

• Episcopal Church Memes (facebook.com/EpiscopalChurchMemes) is popular and has an off-beat sense of humor.
• The Episcopal Church USA’s page often has thoughtful posts. (facebook.com/episcopalian).
• Bishop Steven Charleston has a page (facebook.com/steven.charleston.5) with thought-provoking entries.
• Smoky Mountain Christian Village has a collection of photos (facebook.com/Smoky.Mountain.Christian).

Thoughtful prayers are a great addition to a congregation’s Facebook page:

• Vanderbilt University hosts the Revised Common Lectionary schedule of appointed readings and has a Thematic Prayer section for the various Sundays (lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayers.php?id=212).
• Beliefnet offers a site where you can search for prayers for specific occasions (beliefnet.com/Faiths/Prayer/Prayer-Search.aspx).
• World Prayers offers a “prayer wheel” to sample prayers from all traditions (worldprayers.org).

Another way to go about the task of content curation is to find the entries on the pages of those persons you respect, and either “share” that or click on the entry to go to the source. Many sites have the Share icon readily available for use. As you do so, make sure that you choose “Share... on a page you manage,” “Posting as...” either yourself or as the page you manage.

A word of caution: be sensible about the frequency of your curative efforts. Adding a new item on a weekly basis or even a semi-weekly basis might be sufficient. Of course this is dependent on the culture of your congregation, but to overdo the rate of postings runs the risk of viewer fatigue.

To summarize: being a content curator is just as valuable as being a content creator as a means of keeping your congregation’s Facebook page fresh and interesting. All it takes is finding the “goodies” to share.