Topic: Viral Videos

It is amazing how ONE crazy, funny, strange, random, or meaningless video can instantly be posted online and become viral in minutes. If I recall, Utah State is quite famous for a couple videos that have received national attention.

 “Why Men and Women Cant be friends” which currently has 8,024,857 views.

“The Real Meaning of MPH” which currently has 8,750,393 views.

According to Wikipedia, a “Viral Video” is one that becomes popular through the process of internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email.

This got me thinking, what are some of the most viral videos of all time. My research concluded with “PSY-Gangnam Style” with having 1,462,829,810 views. [which has been online for less than a year.] I was completely shocked! A video that exploits woman and shows inappropriate dance moves has become a international sensation. I am shocked as to what our world has become and what we spend our time on. (http://www.viralvideos.com)

This got me thinking, are there any videos out there that have gone viral, but made a difference in someone’s life?

There are some that have over 1 million views – and although compared to the billions of views from the viral videos of all time, these videos are more inspiring, uplifting, moving and touch on your emotions. 

“Amy hears sound for the first time @ 26 years old” – 1, 239, 160 views

About: Takes a few minutes but worth the experience. Our niece has been deaf since she was born. She has never heard the sound of her parents voice or her 6 year old son, Blake. Every day for the next several months she will learn how sound works and where it comes from.

With all that, I am still impressed that so many different videos online have gone viral and that no matter what you do, say or post – someone is going to watch it, and you never know what repercussions will happen because of it. 

For instance, check out this interview that Utah State Aggie Travis Chambers and his wife had with ABCNews regarding his viral video, “The Real Meaning of MPH” and the national public apology he made to his wife. 

Topic: Hashtagging for TV

What is a hashtag and what is it used for?

According to www.hashtags.org a hashtag is “an easy way for Twitter users to categorize Tweets that share a common topic or belong to a particular group. The hashtag is used to highlight keywords or topics within a Tweet, and can be placed anywhere within a post.”

Hashtags are very helpful when you want to search Twitter for specific topics.

“Any Tweet posted on a public account can be searched by anyone, and posters often use hashtags to help direct searches to their posts. For example, Twitter users can elect to follow all Tweets that include the hashtag #WhiteSox to receive updates about the Chicago White Sox baseball team.”

I personally love hashtags and use them frequently. The most interesting thing I’ve noticed is that TV shows and movies are often using hashtags in their advertising to help create a “buzz” about the specific scenes or the premiere of a movie. Viewers enjoy the synchronized interactive experience they have created on Twitter.

The ABC Family Show, Pretty Little Liars, is the perfect example of this. While each new episode is airing, they show about 3-4 new hashtags that they want viewers to use in their tweets. This has made Pretty Little Liars the “#1 all-time for most comments for a cable drama season 3 premiere, according to Bluefin Signals. The ABC Family series' June 5 season premiere racked up a record 534,000 tweets during airtime." (source)

The sharp spikes in this graph correspond to the East Coast airings of new episodes. 

This next graph shows the tweeting zoomed in – showing that the majority of tweets about the show happen in the first 15-30 minutes before and after the airing of a new episode. 

Twitter.com keeps track of popular hashtags from the years. Some popular hashtags from 2012 include - #nowplaying, #throwbackthursday, #gop2012, #romney, #familyguy, #nfl, #thehungergames, #rickross, #hiphop, #ihop, #starbucks, #at&t, #iphone, #instagram, and #syria. 

Hashtags are a great way to search for any topic to find out what people are saying about it. They aren't only used on Twitter but also Instagram, Blogs and other social media outlets. 

Topic: Making Your Social Media Employer Friendly

I have said it many times, and its still the same – once you put something on social media, its out there forever. Even though there are many different security settings you can put on your social media, it is still on the Internet, for someone to find.

However, using your security settings for good can be very beneficial. It is often talked about how social media checks are becoming the faster and cheaper background checks. According to this article, from monstercollege.com interview candidates could have their Facebook or LinkedIn pages viewed, some even scour the Internet by Googling your name to find information on you from several years.

Here are some tips on “How to make your Facebook profile employer friendly”

• Let LinkedIn be your professional online representative
• Use Facebook as a way to represent your skills and interests
•  Keep your potential future employers in mind
•  Make your profile picture just you
•  Be aware of what your profile links to

Here are some tips that I have discovered over the years are very helpful with social media and the job search:

• only post or allow to be tagged in appropriate pictures
•  be careful of what you comment on others pages or blogs and what people post on yours
•   don’t share every detail about your personal life

Hopefully with these few tips, you will be able to create social media  profiles that appeal to everyone, especially potential employers.