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This article explains how although it is not always possible to predict if content will go viral, there are some similarities between content that has gone viral in the past. For example, Walter explains that viral content shares common features like addressing real-world problems, by evoking emotion (such as anger or humour), and usually has an element of surprise. Walter also adds that how material is distributed and by whom (ex. if celebrities are endorsing it) often plays a key role in whether it will reach a level of virality.

In this article, Jonah Berger explains "what makes things go viral," essentially what common themes tie things together when being virally shared. Berger expresses that there is a science behind why content go viral- for example, he says that virality can depend on the medium of how it's shared and it's level of sharability (ex. Facebook or Twitter). Also, Berger notes that another reason why content goes viral is because individuals want to appear more intelligent by sharing certain links that make them look better. Berger also explains that viral content has a related theme of "triggers," meaning it appeals to our stimuli in the form of sight and sound.

Is there a way of predicting if content will go viral? This article, published by Forbes magazine, written by Roger Wu, attributes the viral success of a certain types of media such as videos, images and sound clips into two categories: the "Roadblock Effect" or the "Stagger Effect." Wu explains that viral content can be divided into these two categories and can therefore be used to determine whether or not content will go viral.

This is describing the new intellectual property law Spain is enforcing in order to receive money from search engines such as Google for providing results of content that is copyrighted. Spain are one of many European countries implementing laws such as this one.

This webpage relates to our earlier discussion about genre theory which depicted some forms of media are more prone to fit into a particular genre label.  More so this page outlines the main types of genres in film which could be helpful for the media episodes project, in order to help identify an appropriate audience and content per the given episode content.  

This article speaks to the effects of listening to the radio compared to watching TV, surfing the web, or doing none of the above. Radio, according to this survey, makes people happier and gives them more energy as they go about their lives everyday when compared to people that watch television, people that use the internet, and people that consume no media at all. Could this be because of how engaged it forced us to be? 

This article relates to the prior discussion of "blindness" experienced by radio listeners.  To elaborate, radio is a simple form of media which can thus produce a more intimate relationship between host and listener.  Radio hosts often seem to have more authentic personalities vs those on other forms of media, which makes content more friendly and familiar to listen to.  This article reflects upon positive emotions experienced by listeners vs those experienced by other media.  

This article analyzes the idea of how virality can be influenced by the emotions felt by the audience. For example, the article explains how people who feel emotions such as happiness as result of viewing certain content are more likely to share it with their friends and networks, therefore contributing to it going viral. The article also uses data collected from Fowler and Christakis' study in 2008 which monitored the emotions people experienced when sharing things on Twitter.

This piece describes how genre is effective in reading and other forms of rhetoric. It can allow readers to get deeper into text, and understand the form of communication on paper. Similarly to genres in movies and TV, genre in written works allow a reader to get the sense of what is "going on". Reading more and more, a reader is able to understand and decipher which genre is which. They also enable readers to connect emotionally to a text, and experience feelings of the writer/characters.

Canada has a political party called the Pirate Party which has existed since 2009, in which exists to attempt and loosen the laws regarding copyright and the movement of content. 

Continuing the discussion on piracy, this article explains how piracy may not be as detrimental to the entertainment industry as it is described. Although piracy has allowed people to have free access to content they once had to pay for, the initial thought would be that Hollywood feels the effects, and loses money because of it. On the contrary, the article explains that last year was Hollywood's best theater attendance in history. Despite what is being said about piracy, it helped to spread "the word of mouth". As said by writer Julie Bush, "I believe torrents are the libraries of the future," Julie Bush says. "The more people who see and enjoy my work, the more opportunities I will have to be compensated." In addition, piracy may not be an option for those who are technologically inept. Thus the creation of Netflix, or HBO subscriptions has allowed access as easy as piracy, but on simpler and legal terms.

Creative Commons many not be as gracious as we think. The contract between content creators and users are not always understood by both, and may generate issues in the future when using another person's work without giving proper credit.

Teressa Iezzi's book discusses copywriting in the context of the new media era. Some call the new era a paradigm shift from the outdated process of buying cheap media then decorating it with creatives. Key takeaway: copywriters are not only writers now, they are inventors. Inventors because they they must think holistically as content is published across print and digital now.

Scripting distorts what people actually want to say when they are preparing for a speech, presentation, or podcast. A contemporary assumption is that if it is written, it will sound better with bigger words and unnecessary embellishments. This article offers 5 scripting tips to make the process more effective. Key takeaways: Write the way you talk. Especially in the context of participatory media, content should be delivered to encourage conversation. Conversational scripting is what differentiates a good script from a great script.

"...your message is the magic that will motivate action!" I believe that the mention of "message" does not involve the surface level features of the message itself, that is the words, but the entire process. This brief article offers 10 quick tips to create more effective participatory audio or video content. Key takeaways: "Write for your audience and make a connection with your potential visitor." It's very important that throughout the entire process of writing, editing, all the way to post-production, the audience is kept top-of-mind. Throughout the piece of media, there should be a strong connection built with the listener/viewer in order to garner the desired level of engagement.

This article deals with website design and what to make note of when designing, as most first-time visitors will give you less than five seconds to "wow" them, making the aesthetics a vital part of reeling in customers. The website must be both visually appealing to your targeted demographic as well as communicate important things to know.

This article covers website aesthetics. Clara Teoh advises web designers to design their websites with: the preferences of their target demographic in mind, the right tone  to focus on designing the layout of the website to capture the attention of users by choosing appropriate colours and  correctly sized buttons. She also says to compare your site using other successful websites as benchmarks. She goes on to say that site aesthetics even affect variables like conversion rates and sales for businesses.  

This article talks about a new trend in Web design- Parallax- and how it became popular. It shows examples of what websites effectively used this trend, and others that have done the opposite. It ends off with how this trend effects designers and readers alike. 

This short article takes a critical look at the different types of social media platforms. The author has an interesting take on how social media has evolved over the past years saying that: "Within the last seven years, we have been through three waves of social domination: The publishing wave (with blogs), the sharing wave (with Facebook and Twitter), and the curating wave (with Quora, Pinterest and alike)." The author goes on to place further importance on the type of content users post and how that impacts the evolution of social platforms. Towards the end he also touches on the choosing the right social media for different types of business.

Last week Professor McMaster touched on online ecosystems. If you want to know more about it, this Forbes article clearly describes what a social media ecosystem is. The key image depicts the social media landscape in very compact and useful way. It shows all the different ways users interact with their devices.

This dynamic and info-packed Infographic highlights how to design for viral growth. The author, Morgan Brown discusses virality, how to make viral designs, and sums its all up in one neat infographic that is compelling, easily embedded into personal websites, and acts as a good reference sheet. A must to keep in mind when designing content for online promotion.

This article highlights 5 golden rules for effective web design. The article describes how to make typefaces work to your advantage, how to choose colour palettes, the advantages of correctly sized graphics, how to include space and headings, and the importance of consistency in design.