The Harlem Shake. Charlie Bit My Finger. These viral videos spread like wildfire, and there are plenty of others like them. But can the makers of viral sensations like these actually turn their insta-fame into financial gain? Brad Tuttle, in this Time piece, asks the same question, and his answer, except for a select few, isn’t promising.
Let’s start with some good news. The creators of the Harlem Shake should see some cash in the near future because, as Tuttle points out, they’ll receive a portion of the ad revenue that’s been generated by their video on YouTube. Tuttle also cites as a success story the Charlie Bit My Finger video, a short clip of a baby biting his older brother’s finger. Doesn’t sound too extraordinary, does it? The video, no joke, has received over 515 million views. The family’s gain: $150,000. But let’s not confuse these exceptions for the rule. Most viral hit makers, Tuttle reminds us, don’t hit it big, or even close — in fact, they’re lucky if they make even a few hundred dollars from their 15 minutes of fame.
Why It’s Extremely Difficult to Right a Company’s Ship (Kellogg Insight)
This one may come across as common sense: Companies who are struggling financially have a tough time recruiting great talent. Professors Jennifer Brown and David A. Matsa calls this the Sinking Ship Effect. No one wants to be a crew member on a sinking ship, it seems. The kicker: companies can’t solve the problem by offering higher salaries. In fact, in most cases, companies don’t get a chance to do so. Why? The applicants studied, as Professor Brown is quoted as saying in the piece, “weren’t interested enough to create even the possibility of getting a job offer at a distressed firm. They just didn’t apply.”
It’s Time to Kill the Email Signoff (Slate)
Slate writer Matthew J.X. Malady argues for a ban on email sign-offs — everything from the disingenuously warm (XOXO) to the inappropriately formal (Yours truly, Sincerely, Respectfully yours,). When you send and receive hundreds of emails a day, he says, just a name should suffice. As someone who once accidentally signed an email to a colleague Love, A, I’m tempted to adopt the policy. Though if Malady is aiming for brevity, perhaps he could drop one of the middle initials from his byline too. — Alison Beard
The Tribe Mentality of Cute Babies
Babies Display Schadenfreude Too (Popular Science)
Is Stress an Overblown Phenomenon? (New Republic)
Why Amazon Prime Could Soon Cost You Next to Nothing (Wired)