TED Talk #3: Why Videos Go Viral

When I grow up, I want to be a doctor, photographer, policeman, fireman, teacher, veterinarian, YouTuber!  Wait, what?!  A YouTuber?!

If any child mentioned YouTuber on a list of dream jobs ten years ago, people wouldn't have had a clue what he was talking about.  Boy, have things changed.

Media has changed.  Communication has changed.  No longer is the Internet a place for professionals and computer geniuses only.  Every day people are creating and jumping in the deep side of the Web.  It's the ultimate technological power-to-the-people movement.  In this case, the power to create a video.  

The pool of video online is wide and deep!  Sometimes funny.  Sometimes sweet.  Some well-made.  Some  very well made, but, honestly, most are really, really, really bad.



What fascinates me is that even a horrendously horrible video can still score hundreds of thousands of views. That's right, hundreds of thousands.  It's crazy!

Why do some videos go viral and some fizzle out?  What is the key to getting a large audience for that video of your cat playing the piano?

This guy knows.  I bring you this week's TED Talk from Kevin Allocca.

Kevin Allocca is YouTube's trends manager.  That means he gets paid to watch YouTube videos all day!  He's got some deep thoughts about web video today.  In this talk from TEDYouth, he shares the 4 reasons a video goes viral.

Here's the link.

Enjoy the video and keep those cameras running when you, your friends, your cat, your parakeet, your dog, your grandpa, or your brother does something interesting.  You never know who will be the next trend in YouTube videos.

TED Talk #2 Underwater Astonishments

Do you dream of boldly going where no man has gone before?  To explore?  Discover?  It is not too late! Contrary to what we often think, there are still a lot of undiscovered astonishments out there in the world.  Just when we think we understand the world around us, we discover some new animal, place, wonder, and we are blown away all over again. As our speaker, David Gallo, explains, we only know about 3% of what is out there in the ocean.  That leaves 97% left to explore and learn!  Plenty of room for wonder!

Our second TED talk of the year explores a handful of the amazing creatures living deep below the ocean. These little guys may be hidden away in the dark, but their beauty and resourcefulness outshines our expectations.

Whoa!!!!

Click here to hear the TED Talk Underwater Astonishments
David Gallo shows jaw-dropping footage of amazing sea creatures, including a color-shifting cuttlefish, a perfectly camouflaged octopus, and a Times Square's worth of neon light displays from fish who live in the blackest depths of the ocean. This short talk celebrates the pioneering work of ocean explorers like Edith Widder and Roger Hanlon.

Let David Gallo's TED talk inspire you to dig deep and explore the fascinating world of nature.  Do you have an interest in animals?  The Amazon?  Insect Kingdoms? Deep Space? Birds? Monkeys? The Arctic?  The Earth's core?  Dive deep and dig in!  Let your chromebook be a doorway to the world!   Who knows, maybe you will be the next person to discover a brand new species?