Fire is a funny thing.

Trying to start a campfire or a grill can seem like such a chore. There are right ways and wrong ways; certain techniques to employ and a fair deal of effort and patience.

And yet, so much as stare too hard at a forest in the dry season and it seems a wildfire spontaneously catches. Sometimes even for what appears to be no real reason at all, it just happens.

It's a lot like viral advertising, when you think about it.

Human beings are branding creatures. Businesses rely on socializing to flourish.

Wait... shouldn't that be swapped? No, not really. The two have always meant the same thing.

Going viral is the holy grail of any online ad campaign, or really any effort at online exposure, period. It's the akin to a TV show becoming a hit, or a movie raking in blockbuster gross sales. It can even be compared to a toy or item of clothing becoming the "hot" thing for the season.

So are these all comparable, or really just the same thing?

What exactly is something that's "gone viral" and why do some things "go viral" while others don't? Can this be predicted, or is it completely up to a whim or some ethereal "x factor" that some things have and others just don't?

In my last post I talked about the importance of understanding the audience.

So now let's take a closer look at what is, exactly, the "online audience." Do they think and act differently than other audiences, like those at a political rally, an academic lecture, or in front of a TV?

Do people think and act differently online than they do in so-called "real life?" Are online audiences truly different than other audiences?

Yes, and the reasons why are imperative to the success of selling to them.