Are you viral?

Following a recent story, found here, in InsideHigherEd, I have been thinking a lot about how to teach to the Web 2.0 crowd.

You may know if you read much of my blog that I am a techno geek at heart. I luv me the RSS feeds…

The article linked above talks about a sociology prof whose video about Web 2.0 became “viral,” spreading around the world in just a few days. The author goes on to dream of other teachable videos spreading education and knowledge through this newfangled ‘puter thing.

Perhaps they are partly right. Mostly, though, they are wrong. The video, seen here, is linkable because it is well crafted. While I think it is a bit overdone (HTML did not revolutionize thought—that was done many years ago—see Dada, Warhol, Derrida, etc.), it is well-presented.

The iPod has sold well because it is slick. YouTube and the ilk allow for user contribution…and web 2.0 tauts itself as user controllable. Some of this is true. I move toward that which I can participate in. I like to dabble and play. YouTube, Blogger, etc. all allow me to have an active hand (passive if watching, but then active if responding, commenting, linking, etc.). So, that which allows for action (let’s call actionable items “cool”) gets traction.

I like that. Gives me something to do.