{"id":2018,"date":"2013-06-14T17:45:14","date_gmt":"2013-06-14T17:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/?p=2018"},"modified":"2013-06-17T14:40:50","modified_gmt":"2013-06-17T14:40:50","slug":"achieving-virality-on-google","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/achieving-virality-on-google\/","title":{"rendered":"Achieving Virality on Google+"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"viral<\/a><\/p>\n

Virality on the Internet is a good thing; unlike virality in real life which is usually frowned upon and not popular with the ladies. Anyone who posts, shares, or creates content online is always hoping for the elusive Viral Fairy to sprinkle her magic 1\u2019s and 0\u2019s on their efforts\u00a0and send it\u00a0flying off in thousands of directions at once.\u00a0Unfortunately, it\u2019s not that easy.<\/p>\n

Most of my experience with posts going viral has been on Google+, because honestly, that\u2019s where I spend most of my time. Google+ has an auto-generated stream called \u201cWhat\u2019s Hot\u201d that curates the posts that are receiving the most +1s and Shares at any given time. Having a post \u201cmake it into\u201d What\u2019s Hot is kind of like unlocking an achievement and should be the end goal of any post you really want a ton of people to pay attention to.<\/p>\n

To that end, I\u2019ve listed my top 4 posts that went viral in Google\u2019s What\u2019s Hot and what I think are the secrets to their success.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. The Over-The-Top Joke<\/a><\/h3>\n
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+1s: 1570 – Shares: 598 – Comments: 464<\/p><\/div>\n

If there\u2019s one thing the entire Internet loves, it\u2019s ridiculous jokes. The more outlandish they are, the better they spread. And when you add an element of \u201cHey, I could actually do that!\u201d, those posts tend to strike a chord with a lot of people. If you post an easy way to be funny that requires almost ZERO effort, people will usually love it, and even better, share it.<\/p>\n

The interesting thing about this post catching on is that in the comments section, people began having intellectual and theological debates about anger! They posted comments about not holding onto anger, getting help for anger issues and even what a pain in the ass it is to hate people. See? Comedy brings people together.<\/p>\n

3. The Relatable Post<\/a><\/h3>\n
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+1s: 2182 – Shares: 794 – Comments: 306<\/p><\/div>\n

The Relatable Post is different from the \u201cOver the Top\u201d Joke in that it doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be funny. It just has to be something that people rarely mention but that almost everyone can relate to.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of a Relatable Post that\u2019s also funny:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This was actually my very first Google+ post to get into What\u2019s Hot, back in February of 2012. It took off really quickly because, come on, who hasn\u2019t been disappointed in the office (or home) restroom because you had to stop playing Angry Birds or Triple Town? (Scumbag bears!) The concept is funny (the ever-popular poop joke) and tons of people can relate to it. \u201cOhmigod, that is SO me!\u201d<\/p>\n

2. The \u201cWOA!\u201d Factor<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n