5 Places to Find Material for Creating New Content

Content is an element of the internet, much like wood is an element of the Earth. Both elements are solid– and without content or wood, people would not have the materials to build.

Since the beginning of time, humans have managed to create amazing things from the planet’s elements. When we were living in caves and forests, we used wood to create huts and weapons. We’d take existing materials, and do something to them that benefited us.

It’s no different today with the Internet. Right now there are existing materials on the web, waiting for someone to use them to make something that others find valuable. That someone could be you, as long as you know where to hunt for the right content.

In this post, I’m going to share with you five places to find content on the web–but not just any content.

Below is a list that will help you find the latest content that, so you can have the latest news and information – no matter the time.

So strap on your hunting boots (i.e., your comfortable slippers) and grab your weapon (i.e., coffee), because we’re about to go hunting for new content!

1. Control the Flow of Content with Prismatic

Prismatic describes itself as “the home for all your interests.” And rightfully so. Once signed in with a social media account (Google, Facebook, or Twitter), you immediately start adding interests. As soon as you have a handful of interests chosen, a newsfeed will populate with stories relevant to what interests you choose.

You can like or dislike the content shown to control the flow of forthcoming content. There’s a lot of tech going on behind that scenes. While I don’t completely understand it, I do know that Prismatic delivers when it comes to showing me things I find interesting. I’m confident it will do the same for you, too.

2. How Can You Not Digg this?

Digg is not a new hunting ground for content creators. Several years ago, Digg was the place to go if you wanted to share content for your site. A share on Digg would get you many “likes” that would translate into page views. The site, however, lost momentum when too many users were manipulating the likes. Digg eventually fell out of focus, but last year it comeback after a buyout from Betaworks.

The new Digg is now a place that populates with the internet’s most popular stories. It does so with a clear design, so you can scan headlines and pictures easily.

Here is a screenshot of their design:

It may not be customizable like Prismatic, but with Digg you know you’re getting the latest most popular stories on the internet. Digg feeds you the latest, so you don’t have to wonder what’s content is attracting the most views, reads, and shares.

No matter what business you’re in, there’s content on Digg for your market. All it takes is a little creativity and finding the connection between a popular article and your product or service.

3. Dear Friend: This Newsletter is Just for You

A great way to stay up to date with relevant content is newsletters. Even if you’re too busy, you should still sign up for them. Here’s why: by signing up to newsletters, you can creating an archive of information in your inbox (or filing cabinet). You might not have the time to read them, but collecting the information means it’s there when you need it.

Most websites and blogs have online newsletters opt ins. You can sign up for ours right here (and get a free video series while you’re at it!) In addition, some businesses have lists for direct mail, so signing up for those letters is another way to have content delivered to you.

4. RSS Feeds – for the Tech Savvy Content Creator

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS allows you to scan the headlines of a collection of websites, without visiting the sites directly.

It’s not as popular as it once was, thanks to news aggregation sites that took the concept of RSS and made it easier to use. However, RSS is still a powerful tool if you take the 15 minutes necessary to set up your feeds.

Here’s how get started with RSS. First, you pick an RSS service. I use the free RSS reader from Digg. Other services like Flipboard or Feedly act like RSS services, so you can use those if you prefer.

Once you’ve found your service, you can add websites to it. What happens next is the RSS service will scrape the headlines and content from the sites you submitted, so you can browse the information without navigating all over the web.

To illustrate what I’m describing, here is a screenshot of my “Business Feed” from Digg RSS:

While it may not be pretty, this RSS reader allows me to look at the headlines at a distance.

Using an RSS reader is like surveying the land before your hunt. It allows you to position yourself high above ground, so you can target an area of interest before setting foot in the World Wide Web jungle: the internet.

Now Please Step Away from Your Machine

Perhaps one of the greatest places to find content is the same place we’ve been finding material for thousands of years: outside. You don’t need to visit the mountains to find content. There are stories happening all around you.

It’s easy to trap yourself into the virtual world, but the truth is online content is just an extension of offline content. Real world experiences are where the best content is.

If you’re looking for inspiration for creating content, look no further than the people you meet and the places you go. Perhaps you could interview someone that inspires you, and ask him or her the questions no one else asks. Alternatively, you could visit a conference and provide your take on it for your audience.

Perhaps this is a topic for a later date – How to Connect Offline Experiences to Online Audiences? If this is something you’d like to read, let our team know in the comments!

In the meantime, take these five places to hunt for new content, and put them to use.

People have been creating articles of value out of existing materials since the beginning.

So can you.