Content Aggregation

Content aggregation is the perusal and collection of specific information from different online sources. Content aggregation is a search and listing of material from any website and may also be generated automatically from information feeds, sometimes utilizing keywords for the search. The process involves distribution of aggregated information to others, such as community members, colleagues, clients, or organizations. Content aggregation is also performed in order to share the collected content with others for a price. Sometimes content aggregation results in a specific website built to provide information on one topic while the information is collected from many different sites. Content aggregation in a simpler form is passing on an already established RSS feed that contains information useful to a certain audience.

This practice is important to public relations as many companies employ specific teams to perform content aggregation to support clients or provide information for marketing purposes. Specific teams may be in-house or a separate company. For instance, a company, such as KeyConcepts, uses computer programs designed to search the Web to gather information about an industry, key business leaders in the field, available jobs, and conferences. The gathered information is compiled into an extensive database.

Some companies hire employees to act as content aggregators, operating solely to source and compile elusive online information about a subject. A content aggregator is an individual, team, or organization that collects online information to use on a specific website or share with others.

Many content aggregators do this work by using keywords that help locate certain information. The information is compiled into assigned formats and used for personal reasons or shared. Professional content aggregators often fall into two fields: those who are hired to search online for certain information and those who make money by finding certain information and then selling it to others.

Content aggregation in its early forms is not a new phenomenon. Certain early websites, such as AOL, included a way to source and distribute content from other sites. Examples today include Internet news sites, Google News, Yahoo, and various social media outlets that allow for niche topics. The process of finding obscure references and information involving certain content is not easy. That is why until the last few years, it has been difficult to perform content aggregation well without an investment in tools that crawl and identify content.

Those who gather content with the express purpose of passing it on to customers are part of a process that can be labeled as syndication. Many companies offer this type of service. They include Moreover, iSyndicate, and ScreamingMedia.

A potential problem with content aggregation is plagiarism. The process can often appear as the theft of content. Therefore, aggregators should take specific steps to collect content for their audience in a legal manner.