What Makes a Viral Video Viral?

We've been working on a very cool assignment to drive consumers to educational content through the power of viral videos. 

In order to make our viral videos as viral as possible (meaning irresistible for people to pass around to each other), we've spent a lot of time analyzing the most successfully viral videos of all time.

We've watched everything from the "The Evolution of Dance," to "David After Dentist."  From "Charlie Bit My Finger...Again!" to "Charlie the Unicorn." 

We found that the most viral videos share a few common qualities: They are either obnoxious and annoying (see "The Annoying Orange") or bordering on "naughty" in terms of scatological or sexual innuendo. It seems adolescent humor appeals to more than just adolescents.

Wired Magazine

But these are just my thoughts and observations. I'd love to know what you think makes a great viral video and see some of your favorite examples!


-Mark

Snooki Sighting

Before I drag this once fine blog down into the bowels of tabloid titillation, I want to make one thing clear: aside from a short term fascination with America's Top Model when my daughters were much, much younger, our family has never been a fan of reality television.

Some may find it hard to believe, but we've never watched one complete episode of Survivor, Big Brother, Top Chef, Extreme Home Makeover – even American Idol.

So imagine my dismay when my middle daughter, 16-year old Sophie, upon returning from a lunch date with friends at Johnny Rockets at the Short Hills Mall, excitedly reported a Snooki sighting.

Although I have never seen Jersey Shore, I have, much to my chagrin, seen Snooki. On the Web, in magazines, in the paper, on the news. Somehow, this no-talent celebrity bimbo has the media following her every move, brawl and arrest.

Now she has my daughter and friends following her at a mall.

"Are you sure it was Snooki?" I asked, thinking it probably wasn't even her. Celebrity sightings are pretty common at the Short Hills Mall. I'm fairly certain that Celine Dion was once ahead of me in line at the Verizon Store.

"It was definitely her," Sophie responded. "My friend follows her on Twitter. We checked Snooki's tweets and she said she was shopping at a mall in New Jersey!"

This brought up so many questions my head was spinning:

Why do people even follow a no-talent like Snooki on Twitter?

Why was this no-talent tweeting to her followers that she's at the mall?

Why was my daughter, who's an ardent vegan, at Johnny Rockets?

I'm so confused.

Maybe I should tweet Snooki for her infinite wisdom.

-Mark

Not Religious, But Not Atone Deaf

I'm not the most observant Jew.

But for one day a year – Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – even the least religious Jews find some semblance of religion.

Or at least, self-reflection.

Which is why I thought I'd use today to atone for some social media marketing transgressions over the past year. (Fiscal year 5770, for anyone counting):

• I didn't even try opening a Four Square account. Sorry, but it still just doesn't seem kosher to me

• I didn't use Twitter more than once or twice a week. ("You never call, you never Tweet...")

• I have not yet posted a picture to a Flickr account

• My FaceBook and LinkedIn accounts each seem to have reached critical mass. I think everyone I've ever known who wants to be listed on them is on them already. The additions now come in few and far between

But beyond that, 5770 was a very good year for us all at Extrovertic. A year of remarkable growth and change.

We look forward to even better things in 5771.

-Mark

The Grand Old Party Masters New Media

Last month, a study showed that Senate Republicans are beating the pants off their Democratic colleagues in their use of social media.

John McCain (R-Ariz.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass) are at the top of the list, followed by one Democrat, Al Franken of Minnesota, and John Conryn (R-Texas). 

And while the top spots are occupied by the GOP, with the exception of the former Stuart Smalley, the Democrats largely own the bottom. The lowest scores went to Senators Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.).

Surprisingly, in the "Age of Obama," John McCain is now considered a "Social Media Genius." 

But the fact that the Grand Old Party is mastering new media may explain another trend I've picked up on.

My father, a retiree in Boca Raton, and ardent Tea Party supporter, sends me -- and the hundreds of others fortunate enough to be on his mailing list -- at least one propaganda email a day. Sometimes two, three or more.

Most of these missives of misinformation are the equivalent of the proverbial Christmas fruitcake. A check at Snopes.com will show that the same email has been passed around for years, with different names plugged in to suit the times. "John Kerry" becomes "Hillary Clinton," etc.

Often their subject lines exploit the names of celebrities. ("What Robin Williams said about Obamacare!")

When confronted with the fact that the quote didn't actually come from Mr. Williams, my father will blurt something like, "Well, it's not about who said it, but what it says." To which I always respond, "But you wouldn't have sent it if you didn't think it actually came from Robin Williams."

These viral emails are coursing through the octogenarian circuit more furiously than Metamucil. 

They cover a wide array of topics such as Obama is a Muslim, Obama is a communist, Obama is an illegal alien, and Obama is getting ready to implement martial law.

And if it is on the Internet, these folks seem to think, it must be true.

Clearly the economy and many other factors have played a role in the Incredible Shrinking Obama Presidency. 

But a well-calculated, well-organized and probably well-funded social media campaign is picking up on the anger of the masses and amplifying it.

-Mark

Doc Com

According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than 61 percent of adults use the Internet to look up health care information and find providers.

Another study, by Manhattan Research, shows that 60 percent of physicians say they currently use or want to use social networking sites.

Health care providers today don't have the time to spend with patients like they did in past eras. And patients are feeling more and more disconnected from their doctors.

Some doctors are taking advantage of the opportunity social media provides to form more of a bond with their patients. They don't use these tools to diagnose or treat illnesses, but merely to connect with their patients in a more personal way. And to provide them with information that they know is reliable. 

The MacArthur OB/GYN group in Irving, Texas, has a Facebook page with almost 700 members. Its posts include educational articles about Iron-Deficiency Anemia, chiropractic care during pregnancy and new 4-D sonogram technology. But it also engages in chit chat, asking members what they "plan to get Dad for Father's Day." And invites them to beta test a new online appointment scheduling program. 

For women in the Irving area looking for a good OB/GYN, the camaraderie and happy, satisfied chatter of the women on its Facebook page certainly must make MacArthur an attractive practice to consider. 

Then there are the world-renown clinics that have more patients than they have beds. These are often affiliated with teaching hospitals at universities.

They don't need more patients. They need funding.


A lively, loyal and enthusiastic patient following demonstrates to potential benefactors that their money will be going to a worthy cause. A Facebook group page is an easy way to build such a community.

One of the main concerns many doctors have about dipping their toes in social media is the amount of time they themselves will have to dedicate to such an endeavor. The co-chair of a well-known treatment facility at a university asked me this very question last week.

My answer was that he could put as much or as little time into it as he wants. The agency could do the heavy lifting. And there are probably plenty of people – staff and students –who would actually find the work fun. 

It's not a return to the house calls of the old days. But social media does give doctors a way to drop into people's homes, nonetheless.
-Mark

Who Wins Before They Even Take the Field?

Is red or orange the more extroverted color?

We looked at the home team uniforms of the two finalists in this Sunday’s soccer World Cup and noticed (how could we not?) that both of those colors are pretty darn loud.

Set either one against the deep green (“vert” in French, by the way) background of the soccer field (“football pitch” to the soccer-speaking world) and the contrast is stark.

Being the competitive (and Extrovertic) gang we are, we asked ourselves: which of the two uniforms is more extroverted?

Spain’s red? Or the Netherlands' orange?

Just so you know, the animal kingdom is equally torn. Paul the Octopus in Germany has picked Spain to win, but Singapore’s Mani the Parakeet tells us the Netherlands will rule the roost. (Frankly, we think Mani is just pulling Paul's legs.)

Let us know what you think.

-Pete

Twitter Synchronicity

Last month, I experienced a moment of what I call "Twitter Synchronicity" – one of those rare times when the uniqueness or sheer scale of an event can not fully be captured and appreciated were it not for the existence of Twitter. 

(The previous time I came close to such an experience was when my wife and I were awakened by an earthquake in Italy.)

This time it was on June 11, and as I was checking my Twitter feed, I came across a tweet from someone dining at an outdoor cafe on Lafayette Street in Manhattan. Just as he was about to put a spoonful of gazpacho in his mouth, a huge horde of naked bicyclists rode by, shouting, in unison, "More ass, less gas!"

The gazpacho-sipping gentleman reporting this occurrence seemed so caught off guard, I only hope that his dinner partner was not wearing white.

Amused by this scene, and curious to see if anyone else had witnessed the same thing, I entered "naked bikers" into the window on the Twitter Search page.

I seriously did not expect to find what I found:

Seems that day was World Naked Bike Ride Day, an annual event to protest car emissions that takes place all over the globe. This year's ride took on even more significance because of the BP oil leak in the gulf.

Similar tweets (with plenty of photographic evidence) were pouring in from everywhere: Sidney, London, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto, Moscow, you name it. If a city had roads, it had naked bicyclists riding on them. 

This was my most recent experience with Twitter Synchronicity.

I'd love to hear yours.

-Mark