Alan Is Good

Working in Social Media Strategy?  You Should Know This Face

It puzzles me how many social media guru/expert/specialist/wizard/rockstar/dude/dudette/master/manager/scientist/aficionados out there aren’t familiar with 4chan, trolling, or the art of the meme.  I’ve found these concepts extraordinarily important to a comprehensive understanding of the virality of user-generated content as well as a must for anyone engaging with any type of online communities for market research or feedback.  The few digital marketing people I’ve met who were familiar with 4chan actually ‘get’ the internet (interwebz) and tended to have a far deeper understanding of the online space, and generally a more impressive track record in social media.

Some have argued that this dark side of the internet doesn’t really apply to serious social media work – and I couldn’t disagree more.  In fact, my go-to story for this argument is the Oprah “Over 9,000 Penises” incident from last year.

The digital marketing agency handling both my career and Oprah’s online reputation at the time was given the task of reporting on this sudden spike in online discussion about her, and I was particularly excited to review the report prior to sending.  I was grinning at the opportunity to actually submit a) a report that dissects a troll job and b) a report that repeatedly mentions 9,000 penises – so I was mortified to see that the report quantified the damage, but didn’t bother explaining the joke or addressing why the internet was laughing at her.  I was really the only one in the communication crossfire who was savvy to the troll job – and had I not said anything, our digital agency would have actually reported to her that she’d just been really popular lately online.  From Harpo’s message board administrators to her PR/marketing team to our agency’s analysts and managers, no one really knew the real story.  I was allowed to edit the report and we advised her team to be wary of online trolls in the future.  It pains me that such an important and trusted lineup of communications professionals was oblivious to such a huge troll job.  Having someone on board who understands the internet on this level could have saved her some grief and over 9,000 Youtube Remixes of her hilarious trolling.  I’m glad I could help, but someone really should have stepped in sooner on that one.

Since then, I’ve professed that the consummate social media analyst/strategist should be familiar with  4chan and other online memes in order to do the best job possible.  You’re welcome, Harpo.

4chan Explained, Once and For All

Just kidding.  No bullet points or explanations here.  Lurk moar – it’s the only way to absorb.

Overly Dramatica

I love reading 4chan coverage.  Journalists, bloggers and reporters misinterpret/sensationalize the issues without fail.  (Or should I say with?)  Mashable’s “4chan vs. Twitter” is a decent one because Stan Schroeder gets it, but CNET’s dubiously titled “4chan May Be Behind Attack on Twitter” article induced lulz on my behalf.  No offense to any journalists, of course.  When the media covers any niche topic, enthusiasts cackle at the lack of comfort and familiarity the reporter endures.

Viral Origins

Digital strategists the world over like to claim expertise using Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon and similar social bookmarking sites to spread client press releases and content.  Well, any ‘expert’ should have a thorough grasp of the web’s viral dynamic, and should understand the birth, life and death of memes.  I’m sure someone out there is writing a textbook on this right now, but in the meantime I refer students of the game to three great starter resources:

• Know Your Meme –   Great archived explanations of those silly internet jokes you don’t get.  Read about Trollface from the beginning of this post, and also check out their epic YouTube channel with Know Your Meme Episodes.
• PopURLs – I don’t identify as solely a Digg user or a Reddit user, I like to know what’s going on everywhere.  PopURLS is a homepage-worthy aggregator of what’s hot right now across the entire interwebs.  Study how content travels through the social bookmarking sites and see if you can map out the spread of info.
• Encyclopedia Dramatica – This is a satire on Wikipedia, but it genuinely describes many obscure memes and incidents in the history of trolling.  NSFW, and not for the weak at heart.  When you can read through 3 consecutive pages of ED without saying “Waitwut?” you’ve officially made it to the dance.

Can I Be Successful Without Knowing About All This Troll Stuff?

Definitely.  Fluffy half-wit professionals get hired and promoted every day of the week in corporate America.  Many agencies across the nation have an express route to the top via office politics and strange bedfellowships.

If you care about your craft and want to represent digital PR professionals respectably, study up on the darker parts of the internet and the virality of user-generated content.  It’s an ace up the sleeve that very few are using effectively.

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