Viral Video can be an extremely affective way to reach out to audiences. You just need to make sure you have a really good idea and the means to pull it off. Or maybe viral videos usually happen when you don’t have a good idea? Like the Star Wars kid or the Numa Numa guy. Or were those good ideas?

Yesterday at work, I had a meeting with a potential client who works for a charitable organization in Calgary who had questions about what social media and networking is all about. We got onto the topic of viral videos as a means to spread a message. Generally, we think of viral videos as being goofy, weird, eccentric, but mostly just funny videos. However, they can also be serious, you just have to do them right. I couldn’t think of any yesterday (but now that I think of it the Amnesty International torture videos (disturbing) are a good example). But I saw a great one today.

WorldVision has created a new video (thankfully that moves away from posh celebrities telling me how I need to donate) that is very much a viral video (thanks Boing Boing) and extremely powerful.

Video is probably one of the best and key ways to communicate (especially online). Having a video go viral will only happen when there is a solid and clear idea in any genre and a good understanding that the internet is a conversation and not a lecture.