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Going Viral

This year is a big year for going viral. I’ve talked about it many times before, but this year, I think ideas are going to spred faster than ever.  As such I wanted to pass along a couple of those ideas that are getting eyeballs on the web today. One that all of you have probably heard of by now. And the other by Seth Godin, my favorite blogger.

Viral videos aren’t anything new nowadays. Over the past year we’ve seen things like It Gets Better and SOPA really taking off. I like the It Gets Better movement because it was grassroots. Started by an individual that cared. And didn’t cost much money to get started. And it all started by a single blogger/author that wanted to try something new.

Today, the Kony video is one of the fastest-spreading Internet videos.  Unlike It Gets Better, Kony is not a series of short videos. Instead, the Kony video is REALLY long, which is different when compared to most viral movements, where the content is shortened and more digestible. I wonder if the success of this video will lead others to (mistakenly) try the same.

A second Internet thing getting a lot of attention is an e-book Stop Stealing Dreams by Seth Godin. Not nearly spreading with the same immediate force, but according to his blog it is getting tens of thousands of new readers every day.  Perhaps Seth Godin should have made a video like Kony. Or maybe over the test of time, he’ll actually get more traction since he can keep giving it out for some time.

The reason I like Stop Stealing Dreams is because it’s all about education. Something we are passionate about.

It will be interesting to see what things go viral over the next few weeks and months. We’d love it if you helped us take the Education Matters Project viral. We’ll be up in just a few weeks (late March), so check back, take a look at our grassroots website once it’s up, and please contribute your stories, comments and ideas.

There’s never been a better time to show the Education Matters, so we hope you will support the cause.