Catch the Virus

Now that my own mother has friended me on Facebook, I know that we've entered a new phase of social media. But what exactly is it?

My guess is that we've hurtled headlong into The Great Sorting Out--at least when it comes to the marketing applications within social media. This is what happens when a critical mass of the population finally tunes into something (like Facebook), but at the same time, economic pressures make sure that no efforts are wasted and only the strongest survive.

This will be a healthy phase. There will be less pressure to do something (like Twitter) just because it's new, and more impetus to make rational decisions. For me, that starts with defining one particular element properly: "viral."

Credit a friend and colleague who recently offered these words of wisdom: "Viral" is an outcome, not a tactic.

Now, I won't go so far as to say you can't set out to make a viral video (you'll see why in my next post), but viralness, viralocity, viralocitude (or whatever you want to call it) is ultimately an attribute that is earned, not made. Put differently, to claim that you're making a viral video is akin to saying you're filming an Oscar-winning movie. The market decides, not you.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to share this post on Facebook and see what my mother thinks of it.