YouTube has performed a miracle for a man named Ted Williams, who until the posting of a video on YouTube was homeless and using his “Golden Voice” to earn a few dollars on the side of the road in America.
The Columbus Dispatch Videographer, Doral Chenoweth III, filmed a quick interview with Ted after coming across him at the side of the road and uploaded it to the video sharing website YouTube, where the video went Viral, with one copy, uploaded on the 6th January 2011 by RussiaToday boasting 6,374,157 views at the time of writing.
Job Offers
The video became so popular with thanks credited to the Reddit community when one of it’s members posted the video to the site in order to try and help Ted out. The Reddit member claims he received almost 100 offers of work for Ted as well as a large number of News sources asking him for information on Ted.
Ted has done numerous TV and Radio appearances since, and was offered a job doing the announcements at the Cleveland Cavaliers stadium. Since then Ted has reportedly recorded an advertisement for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese which was due for air in America on Sunday night during during the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco.
Powerful Stuff
In my opinion this is a particularly powerful example of how Social Media and the use of Viral can be effective. The man has went to being jobless and homeless to at least having a job, and one that he evidently loves.
Have you read or seen any other examples of how Social Media and spreading something virally has greatly helped a person or cause? What is next for the power of Social Media?
John @ Walker Studios 