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What is weird?, well in the 21st century it?s getting more and
more difficult to define what is weird and what isn?t .
According to the dictionary one definition is ?Of a strikingly
odd or unusual character; strange?. Surely that isn?t enough any
more? A quick look at eBay and you will find hundreds of items
that would comply with that definition. Toast with faces on it,
Glass jars containing Ghosts and numerous examples of weird and
wacky objects, (well weird and wacky according to the people who
have submitted them.) The sheer number of them should preclude
them from being classed as Weird. Mainstream Newspapers now have
pages of weird news and no shortage of people willing to appear
on them. The nightly news no longer finishes with heart warming
local story it finishes with some weird local happening Weird is
big news.
It seems that weird and bizarre are now mainstream and are
considered marketing tools or a gateway to 15 minutes of fame.
In earlier centuries the highlight of the year was the visit of
a circus or a fair and their cast of weird and wonderful
characters and creatures. Queues would form outside the tents as
people waited to see the latest freaks and bizarre sights. The
Internet is the modern equivalent of the Freak Show and with a
bit of planning and preparation you can use this desire for the
weird and wacky to promote your site or your company.
Viral marketing is the key to your success, Find something that
people will find funny and amusing and want to show their
friends and you are halfway there. Some recent examples are the
plumbers van that had a naked body painted on door so that it
looked like a naked person was driving. The photograph traveled
from inbox to inbox each time the name of the company was seen
along with the URL of their site , it was picked up by local
newspapers and local TV and the work flooded in (sorry for the
pun!).
It doesn?t take a big budget just a big imagination, Find
something weird, photograph it watermark the photograph and
place it on your site take some anti leeching precautions to
stop people copying it and send the link out, visit a few forums
and place the link in your signature, pass the photo to some of
the many sites specializing in weird soon you will have a stream
of traffic to your site.
There is no difference from the Internet to the freak shows of
the 19th and 20th Centuries except that this time the freaks are
on the outside of the tent!
About the author:
Mark Thompson Is a former IT consultant from London. He now
lives in Spain and runs a number of websites Including
http://www.worldoftheweird.com
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