Dumbest Post(s): What Makes Gawker Go Viral
via flickr user Gail S
Neetzan Zimmerman is Gawker’s special sauce. He’s the man behind Rachel Black’s global status. He’s a proponent of cats, from hot tub cats to taxidermied helicopter cats. He’s the creator of ridiculous headlines like “Crappy Teacher Tells Kindergartner Who Pooped Her Pants to Sit on It”–which, by the way, garnered 32,000 page views. One might say he is the master of viral content.
Gawker has latched onto the viral wave and Neiman Journalism Lab examines why. According to the Gawker editor, A.J. Daulerio, viral content is necessary for page views. Which begs the question: Does this undermine quality journalism? Gawker insists that viral content plays a small role in its content equation, but like it or not, that role helps pay the bills.
While journalists may sit in judgment and wonder whether farting babies could tarnish a brand, the reality is that viral content is key to surviving in today’s online environment. One must catch users where they’re hanging out most, on Facebook and social media sites which are hotbeds for eye-catching, tawdry or just plain silly content. Once the viral content does its job of drawing users to a website, it’s the meaningful, original content that holds the user’s attention.
Kudos to Gawker for sharing its special sauce with the media world. Who knows, viral editor may become a staple on every editorial team.
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