Jacob Tucker's Viral Slam Dunk

Jacob Tucker didn't expect anything when he sent in an audition tape of his dunking abilities to the 2011 NCAA Dunk Contest, but 5 days later his tape attracted nearly 500,000 viewers across the web. What makes Jacob's story such a success you ask? Standing in at only 5 foot 11 inches, Tucker would easily be the smallest guy in the competition.. but that didn't stop him from showing off his uncanny leaping abililities. Adding to that, Tucker's only from a Division III team while most contestants eligible for the contest come from Division I. No worries, this didn't stop his nearly 2000 fans from creating a Facebook group dedicated to landing Tucker an invitation to the contest. All this social media attention Tucker recieved did in fact help him get the coveted invitation to the Final Four Weekend Dunk Contest. Check out his submission video below!
Within a matter of a couple weeks, Tucker's video had gone from virtually no hits at all to nearly 4 MILLION views. This viral video takes into account all 6 verbs for the connected world but pays special attention to 'Interacting' and 'Generating'. Tucker was able to personalize his submission video to showcase his skills in a way that the viewers could interact with it and pass it along. Oh and just in case you're wondering.. Tucker did end up winning the 2011 NCAA Dunk Contest. Check out the video below!

Babble Babies

I recently caught a glimpse of these two twin babies on a morning show and couldn't stop laughing! 17 month-old Sam and Ren seem to be caught up in a conversation of their own language and their mother cleverly decided to get a quick video.. and over 100,000 views later this video has officially became viral.



After viewing the video several times it quickly becomes apparent as to what makes a video become viral. If we take one of Kevin Kelly's 6 Key Verbs for the Connected World, that being 'Sharing', we can see how easily it is for a network of friends to spread a video virtually overnight. All the advancements in technology make connectivity a breeze, thus allowing hilarous moments like these babies available for the whole world to be seen.

"It's Friday.. Fun. Fun. Fun"

If you hadn't heard of Rebecca Black within the past week, you must be living under a rock. Deemed an overnight sensation, this young 'artist' seems to have created a summer jam that everyone will become sick of after not even listening to the first few minutes. Some describe her music as a 'trainwreck' while others claim she's a young girl just having fun. Either way you flip that pancake, her song 'Friday' is definitely catchy.. and rightfully so with nearly 75 million views on YouTube alone. Check out the video HERE! I dare you to listen to the entire 3 1/2 minutes.

This viral video definately takes into account the 'generating' verb of the connected world. The internet helped catapult this video across the web in an immediate fashion. Before the Monday blues had even began, it seemed everyone was talking about FRIDAY!!