On Tue, Mar 12, 2013 at 2:53 AM, JW <[email protected]> wrote: >> Personally, I think promoting viral videos pre-release makes less sense than >> pushing them once they take off. But YMMV. > > Isn't the definition of a viral video pretty much one that becomes > popular without a real PR push? (I suppose that there are some people > whose lives revolve around making that push quietly.)
Yes and no. There are a few people online (when I taught this, I used the overdramatic word "nexus" to describe them) who can make something go viral, maybe three dozen or so. Some can do so directly (George Takei), while others have a cult group of followers who act as megaphones (ZeFrank). That stupid Friday song two years ago didn't crack until Mike Nelson of MST3k/RiffTrax linked to it on Twitter. Certain celebrities get paid to not only mention products on social media but also to share links to things (Paris Hilton/Charlie Sheen/everybody I despise on Twitter). Tosh has made a living by making things go viral. There are companies that exist that maintain tens of thousands of social media accounts; for the right amount, they can "like" or RT whatever you want as many times as you want. It is no different than the publishing world, when you think about it. Some books sell because people buy them and read them. Other books (cough... Bill O'Reilly... cough) sell because the author and publisher work up a deal to buy enough copies of their own book to make it a bestseller, which then entices people to buy the book. Some online media goes viral in the course of people going through their daily routines, while other viruses spread artificially/with help/due to money. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
