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Chapter 48. Social/Viral Structure
The Internet is famous for making things “go viral” but if your site isn’t designed to create viral word-of-mouth, it won’t. In this lesson, we’ll learn how to translate emotional content into viral popularity.
Virality Is Much More Than Sharing: It’s a Feature
If you are working on a social network or an app with social features, or your site is based on user-submitted content, or if your dream is to be the next Grumpy Cat, this is for you.
The Basic Formula
Action from User A = Feedback for User B = Content for User C
For example:
You share a friend’s photo on Facebook. That’s your action, which gives feedback to your friend. When you share it, the rest of your friends see the photo in their feed, with a note saying you shared it.
You retweet something on Twitter. The original tweeter gets the feedback. Your followers see the tweet in their feed, from you.
You pin something on Pinterest. The original pinner gets feedback. Your followers see the pin in their feed, from you.
And so on.
Then, even more people see it, do actions, which give feedback, and creates even more content...
Ta da! More viral than a group of toddlers with the flu.
However, Facebook doesn’t show Likes to very many people, like it does with a Share. And Twitter doesn’t show Favorites to people like a Retweet. And Pinterest doesn’t show Likes to people like a Pin.
It’s ok to have actions that ...