In case you've missed it, the internet is currently going nuts about Rebecca Black's DIY pop single "Friday" which has over 45 MILLION views.
And by nuts, I mean nuts. The rabid frothing vitriol unleashed on this poor girl is proof that just because something can go viral doesn't mean you want it to.
It's just a kind of crappy pop song (I suppose using "crappy" and "pop" in the same sentence are redundant) recorded at a vanity studio by a 13 year old. Yet the response has all the reasoned intelligence of a digital lynch mob.
There is a lesson here for companies that want to harness the power of social media.
First of all, don't allow comments. If you really want to allow comments, moderate them ALL first. And if you don't want to moderate, than use Facebook connect to force all commenters to reveal their identity, which should keep all but the worst trolls in check. NEVER just allow comments. The people on the internet don't deserve that right any more.
