Recommending Content and Automated Sharing of Content

You find a great blog, read regularly, and tweet or share everything posted. So why not automate sharing what you already share, and get a few minutes back each day?

On the surface, it seems logical. However, if you are using automation, it likely is having side effects.

  1. Automation has made your algorithm, primarily your selection of sources, more important than the content itself.
  2. You share more than you used to. I follow people that, with the addition of automation tools, now share more content than I have time to read, even if they were my only content source.
  3. It has disconnected you from your best content sources. Your time savings are from spending less time reading, considering or commenting on content from the best sources, those you are willing to automate. The simple act of sharing is a minimal time savings.
  4. Your sharing does not include a comment or note that adds context for your audience. The comment or note improves the recommendation, helping your audience see what content is right for them.

These side effects mean your content sharing is no longer a valuable content filter for your audience. Although much of it may be worth reading, we are flooded with content from multiple sources today. A content feed cannot compete with the recommendation value of carefully curated and reviewed content shared with additional comments.

If sharing content that you don’t recommend your audience reads, why do you share content?

  • Are you creating a dedicated audience by sharing content you wouldn’t recommend? If so, how valuable can that audience be to you?
  • Are you looking to increase engagement through increasing sharing? If so, how effective can you be striking up a conversation about content you haven’t read?

Alternatively, is your sharing algorithm good enough that you are sharing great content and building a valuable audience, despite not being able to individually endorse each piece of content?

Your Turn

What is your view on automated sharing? If you are against automation, what side effects bother you? If you support automation, how do you feel about the side effects listed here? I would love to hear your view in the comments below, or share it with me on Twitter at @wittlake.

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