| The world of Web 2.0 is simply a world where the World Wide Web has entangled everyone into a fruitful mess. In the world of Web 2.0, anyone who has a computer terminal can make a website, create content, make friends with everyone on the rest of the planet, and spread news immediately thanks to the increased integration of a network. It is this concept of virtual networking that has made Internet marketing and advertising so easy: the more people there are in a network, the faster the news can spread, creating viral marketing that is so rapid, it can make news in the same way that it can report it. This means that if anyone picks up anything of any worth on the Internet, if this person is part of a social network, and if this person places news about this thing of worth on the network, then news about this thing of worth can spread immediately. That same thing of worth may be an interesting website, a thought-provoking blog entry, a heartwarming image, some state-of-the-art animation, or anything online that might catch anyone?s fancy. Such a method of viral marketing has propelled websites to the top of the heap, and has made millionaires out of the anonymous, simply because these ordinary people knew what ordinary people could appreciate. You, too, can be part of this viral marketing campaign by generating content that will make you king of the Internet kingdom. However, you cannot simply write something on your website that people will expect to be there: you must give them something unexpected, something controversial. Of course, there are many lines that you might unknowingly cross: you may create controversy, but avoid posting controversial pictures or placing disrespectful text. Controversy does not mean racism or pornography: it means that you have to make something thought provoking. What might this mean to you? This means that you have to create content that is revolutionary. For instance, if you are in the textbook selling business, why not post a study on how expensive college textbooks now are ? and add links to bargain textbook shops where college students can get more information on how to get cheaper textbooks? This can be considered a slap in the face for major booksellers, but you can think of it as throwing water over them to wake them up to the fact that they are eating college students out of house and home. Moreover, you are helping college students get more for their money, so if your content finds its way to major social networking sites such as FaceBook, you will certainly be all the more popular. The key to making controversial content is to aim not to please one market, but to still walk the line and make sure that you do not adversely affect or offend anybody. This might mean that you will have to do more research on your website visitors, as to what they like doing, what they do not want to read online, what other things they are interested in, and why they are visiting your site. Then, start springing your surprises. You can surprise people only when you tickle their fancy and go after something that they are familiar with, not something that is totally alien to them. These are only a few tips on how you can create controversial content. Make sure that you write useful content that is as revolutionary as it is helpful. This way, you can help people, awaken others, and still make yourself popular without looking like a writing demon. |