The internet has given rise to many terms and words that are absolutely new to us all. One such term is going viral. The literal translation of the sentence may be very different from the actual meaning of the same. We will now in this article discuss what is meaning of going viral on internet. We hope that after reading this article you will have a better idea of this term that is often used. Next time you hear the line you will know exactly what it means.

The Hype/Myth

Whenever you open a newspaper or a television channel you must have read or read the term “going viral”. It may seem a little strange to hear. Going viral would basically mean nothing. Virus is a germ that causes diseases and infection in humans. What would a virus have to do with the internet? Many a times we hear that a computer was attacked by virus. Virus is also used as a program that can enter a computer or mobile phone through the internet. This can be very dangerous for the computer. Perhaps the term has something to do with this virus. Well the answers can be many but we will try to get to the closest explanation possible.

The Cyberspace/Internet

We know that the internet is open to all. It is a vast medium of expression and sharing views. With the increasing trend of social networking anyone can go on their social network and post their views. Like a virus when it infects the body can spread to the various parts of the body in no time similarly information or a video when posted on the internet can spread to millions of viewers across the world. This is exactly why it is called going viral. Because the details spread like a virus when it is online it can be very dangerous too. This is exactly why it is said that a video went viral on the internet.

Faster Than ForestFire

Any information that can invoke emotion and ridicule can spread like a fire on the internet. This is one reason why the social networking sites are becoming a place for expression. For going viral it is not necessary that the information is a video alone. It can be an animation, a photograph, a quote, a tweet, an idea, an article anything that can create awareness can become a part of these posts. When a video is shared by mailing it to a long list of recipients it also can be termed as going viral. The stronger the message is the more popular it becomes. People will share the message or picture only when they are convinced by the same. If the right message is shared with the right audience at the right time it can also make the person sharing this information an internet celebrity.

Just uploading a post is not going to be termed as going viral. If you have a post that was shared with a lots of people in no time only then will it be considered to be a viral material. Do keep in mind that the term “lots of people” actually means lots and lots of people possibly in hundreds of thousands and millions later on. If the material goes viral in hour’s time it can be considered as a viral sensation.

For example the song Kolaveri di sometime back. It became so popular that it went viral everywhere. In spite of people not knowing the language and the terms the song did extremely well. It is not necessary that every idea can go viral.

Tips For Going Viral

There are some simple tips that you may need to prepare a material that you want to go viral. These tips will help you to create an item that would be an ideal viral material. This ensures that you get a lot of online exposure with very little effort.

1. Ensure that you write about a current event that is fresh in the minds of the people.
2. You can make a funny video or video of something that inspires you and share it with your friends if it is powerful enough it can go viral in no time.
3. Try to use a catchy keyword and some interesting tags.
4. You can start a contest this is more common for those who want to promote their product or service on the internet.
5. Sometimes it is humour that works the best online. Take a funny picture or write a funny joke and see how easily is becomes a viral sensation.
6. Sometimes controversy and shocking information can actually create a huge viral sensation on the internet. However, when you do so ensure that you have all your facts right else you may get into trouble.
7. Going without social media thesedays would be really difficult so dont forget to include the element of social media and the right mix.

Note: do remember that you can at best try to get viral by following all the right tricks and techniques but this is not a guarantee that the content, video, image or whatever it is, will go viral for sure. Apart from these things, it would depend on your luck to a certain extent and many things which are totally beyond your direct or even indirect control.