Viral Videos

Everyone has experienced a video going viral.  Suddenly out of nowhere the likes of Gagnam Style, sneezing pandas, and awful music videos about foxes spring up and captivate the internet for several months.  These videos go viral because they are readily seen.  Countless people share these videos to friends, who then share them with their friends.  The cycle repeats until the internet's next big sensation is in full force.    

If an individual is looking to make a video or blog post go viral they should follow a few principles to assist in the process.   First one must take into account current events and trends through twitter, the news, or online communities like reddit.  By staying up to date you have a better chance to make a popular piece of online media.  Using eye-catching tags and keywords are very important to drawing in potential viewers.  Other important aspects to put into a video is the use of humor, good visuals, and even try tweeting famous people your video.  

From a personal view the best advice to give someone trying to go viral would be to utilize the online community of reddit.  Many internet fads have begun at that site through the large community and creative people.  "Redditors" can be very critical of original content, but if the material is well received it will begin spreading like wildfire through the community and beyond.  Famous people such as Snoop Dog, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even President Obama have posted on the website. 

For more information:
http://webtrends.about.com/od/howtoguides/tp/How-to-Go-Viral-Tips-For-Going-Viral.htm

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/10/21/science-sharing-what-makes-video-go-viral