Going viral with social media

An important concept that permeates all social media is the notion of viral content. Viral content is a site, page, image, or video that, by its own merits, is so humorous, interesting, or otherwise noteworthy that it extends its reach simply by virtue of being passed on by readers with no further action by its creator. An example of viral content is "David", the boy captured on video by his father after leaving the dentist. In the video (if you are one of the few who haven't seen it), a middle school-aged David demonstrates the woozy effects of really powerful painkillers; he asks, "Is this real life?" This video has garnered over 70 million views on YouTube. While this video wasn't created as a promotion for a business, its tremendous popularity has spawned one: the boy's family has launched a website (http://www.davidafterdentist.com) that sells a line of t-shirts and stickers based upon the event. That is a demonstration of the power of viral content.

Viral...