The Importance Of Going viral

Dancing pony. Dumb ways to die. Roller skating babies. The Old Spice guy. The most interesting man in the world. These aren't the ramblings of an insane person but just some of the most famous ads that have gone from being niche marketing for brands to worldwide viral campaigns that millions of people love to see. They go from being a simple video on a site to being featured on TV shows showcasing the best of the web.

Viral marketing is a hard thing to take a grasp of. It isn't just the case that a company makes an ad and lets if float like a balloon out in to the web. A lot of hard work goes in to getting content to appear in the right places and be seen by those who it's best tailored to.

This kind of work is done by an SEO company. SEO stands for  'Search Engine Optimisation' and is key in helping companies get noticed by working hard to make sure a company site is in the best shape possible and that it's incredibly easy for anyone searching online to find.

They will make sure that your company is using the best possible keywords to advertise itself with and that no other companies are copying your brand image. They'll stop bad websites from linking to yours in an effort to create a higher level of authority.

Having an SEO help your company is a great idea. They'll handle all the stress of looking after your online presence and find ways to make sure you rank highly on sites like Google when people search for any kind of service or product.

If you want to find out more about SEO work visit ProSeo's site and see just what how much work goes in to helping a company have their advertising be seen.

Netpicks

We've been paying a lot of attention to how viewing habits have been changing. At some point the boxset marathon became a streaming session. We rely more on word of mouth now than posters in shop windows in deciding what to watch. Suggestion based viewing has seen shows like Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones become prime time viewing when they're not even on a big network.

This leads us on to the unusual sighting of an ad for Breaking Bad popping up during X Factor a few nights ago. It wasn't that such a crazy drama was being advertised on the most popular show on UK TV, but the fact that it was advertising the platform you could view it on: Netflix.

'I watched it on Netflix/TV' is now the status quo in describing our viewing experience. The level of immediacy is something that is causing fans of these shows to sign up. In the past it was the usual case of an American show airing weeks or even months after its domestic airdate (just look at how BBC4 only started showing Parks&Recreation four years after it started).

But now by advertising that a show will air the next night in the UK, Netflix is attempting to restructure viewing habits from their open platform ideal to a schedule 'window' where relevancy is still key. Its a sly move to gain users who would otherwise be too lazy to try and find links online every Monday a new episode appears. Here's hoping that if its a success we'll be seeing more and more of our favourite American shows be available a lot quicker than looking at a boxset pre-order online.

American Invasion

It used to be standard fare for a drama in the UK to only last a few episodes a season. Everything from Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and Boy from the Blackstuff, to Sherlock and Luther all only having 3-5 episodes in any run. It made for dramas that were compelling, very detailed and hard not to lose interest in.

It's taken awhile for American networks to come around to the same concept, but as more and more small networks see the potential that a Walking Dead or Breaking Bad can have, they're churning out new and original programming where quality is very much placed over content. Here are some of our favourite new American series to check out:

-Rectify
It's only six episodes, and some critics have said the story is too slow for American audiences, but this original series by Sundance is required viewing. Rectify is the story of Daniel Holden (Aiden Young) who is released from prison after being on death row for 19 years. He returns to his home town where everyone has their own opinion on whether or not he's innocent. While you might think the story is all about his innocence, the real power lies in watching Daniel try and adjust to real life and catch up on everything he's missed.

-Top of the Lake
Lords of the Rings made New Zealand out to be a lush and beautiful place. Top of the Lake uses the backdrop as a sign of nothing but dread. Elisabeth Moss (West Wing, Mad Men) plays a young detective trying to figure out who got a 12 year old girl pregnant. She has to deal with corrupt cops, a drug lord who runs the area and most bizarrely a group of middle aged women who set up a community by the lake. Its less Law & Order and more Dragon Tattoo.

-House of Cards
It may be a remake of a beloved BBC show but this American reboot has completely changed the landscape of American TV. Its noted as being the first big TV show that wasn't even shown on a network and streamed on Netflix. Kevin Spacey plays a South Carolina governor in a political drama that shares more with Richard III than it does with The West Wing.

-Bates Motel
A 'contemporary prequel' to Psycho might sound as much of a joke as Gus Van Sant's remake of the Hitchcock classic, but Bates Motel is a surprisingly good show. Vera Farmiga plays the infamous mother, currently widowed, who decides to buy and run a motel with her son Norman. The show eschews any sort of convoluted plot to tie in with its maker and instead has a strong focus on family life, even if we all know how it's going to end up.

Appy Viewers

More and more we're seeing ourselves using TV as a split medium. When we sit and watch our favourite shows we're also on our laptops, tablets and phones. Whilst it's nice to see what your friends are saying about your favourite shows on Facebook and Twitter, there are a number of apps out there that aim to enhance your viewing experience. Here is what we think are the top 5 TV apps on the market:

1.Getglue.
This is an app that aims to get you talking about your favourite shows. Simply connect the app with your Facebook account, search for whatever show you're watching and check in. Leave your thoughts and see what others around world think of your opinion.

2.TV Guide.
With a title as simple as this you don't need to know much else, but this app has more functions than you'd expect. You can watch live anywhere, set reminders for yourself and if you've an internet TV you can use it as a remote.

3.Crackle.
It's a surprisingly little app that offers unrivalled content. The Sony owned service lets you watch hundreds of their old movies and shows for free, as well as offering their own new content. We recommend watching Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.

4.Zeebox.
Like the idea of watching TV with all your mates round, but not bothered to have them over? Then Zeebox could be for you. You can see what your friends are planning to watch and make your own chat rooms with anyone to talk about your currently watching. Our favourite feature of it is if you see something on TV you want to buy, Zeebox can link you to the appropriate site.

5.Miso.
If you like turning your viewing experience in to a game, then Miso could be for you. Every time you're watching something, you're rewarded with badges and points depending on how often you do it. And if you like to feel educated, the app also gives you trivia to look out for while you watch.

James Gandolfini 1961 - 2013

The world woke to the sad news today that the actor James Gandolfini, best known for his role of Mob boss Tony Soprano, passed away at the age of 51. It is believed he had a heart attack on holiday in Rome and his death will come as devestating news to his family, friends and fans.

Gandolfini's portrayel of Tony Soprano gripped us all in the 8 years the series ran, picking up 3 Emmy Awards along the way as well as the countless awards the show won.

What made this role so popular though? He was portraying a career criminal who cheated on his wife and killed people that got in his way. For me it was seeing behind the Gangster mask and seeing how someone in that 'line of work' would deal with everything they have done and try to raise a family.

Being a fan of The Godfather films (1&2) Goodfellas, Scarface, Casino and countless other films that see the main characters in such roles it was interesting to see it on TV. In a film you only have a certain amount of time to get the character across while telling a story, TV allows you to analyse the character, something The Sopranos did literally as he underwent therapy.

In recent years TV series like The Sopranos, The Shield, Sons of Anarchy etc have been getting more and more popular, attracting actors and directors out of Hollywood and you can see why. The Sopranos is, for me, one of the best examples of how to build a character and let the audience really understand what they are feeling.

The passing of Gandolfini will leave fans with that feeling they had when The Sopranos came to an end, a sense of disbelieving. For us we will pick ourselves up and watch something else and read about other celebrity lives. It is for the family of James Gandolfini that my thoughts go out, losing this talented man, Father and Husband at the age of 51 will always be difficult to come to terms with and I just hope they can take some comfort in the respect that so many people had for him.

The Great Return

After several years of fans wanting to hear more from the Bluth family the latest series finally aired on...Netflix?

That's right, the streaming giants released the full series for fans to stream resulting in many going into hibernation to digest the first new episodes in seven years. And the reaction? Decidedly mixed.

Personally speaking I, as of writing, have only seen two episodes so can't comment on the overall series but have to say that I can see why people may be underwhelmed.  Please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying I haven't enjoyed the episodes, far from it, however the latest series is easing us in gently with the first story letting us know Michael and George Michaels story, the second letting us catch up with
Lucille and George Snr.

For me the beauty of the show is in the family interaction so having these individual storylines to kick off we miss that. I do appreciate the fact that there is a lot of back ground information to be filled in and this is why I will reserve my judgement for now.

Netflix itself is pinning alot on this series and is hoping to attract more people to its site with it. I think they will reach a wider audience and it is up to them to provide the content to keep people subscribed. For me, where Netflix lags behind the likes of LoveFilm is in the ovie choice however the choice of TV series available more than makes up for it.

I will get back to the series and let you all know what I think when I am finished. Whether this is a stroke of genius from Netflix or a mere illusion to trick us into subscribing is yet to be determined but it looks as if the future of our viewing could well be shaped by the success or failure of this.

The Future of TV

I remember having a wood panel effect TV, one of those big boxy things. These days they are aout as thick as a credit card and with a picture so crisp it could be a window. But what did we see for the future of TV just a few decades ago?

The 60's, 70's and 80's saw some interesting designs that were an attempt to thrust us into the future. Now they look like props from an old Star Trek episode but they do have some retro charm and I am sure we will see a fashion where these kind of items make a return.