“My Life” by Bill Clinton: Exclusive Extract!!!. Even with all the technology at our disposal, great writing wins out every time. This post is breathtakingly viral.

AFTER you read the link above, feel free to read the riff below.

I posted that paragraph this morning. This then, I’ve gotten a lot of mail from folks who wanted to know why I was shilling for Clinton and to let me know how bad his book is.

Folks! It’s a parody! It’s subtle, but truly funny.

My lessons?

1. viral stuff is often obvious, isn’t it? In other words, if you’re too clever, some people don’t get it and it doesn’t spread well. On the other hand, be too obvious and it’ll just sit there. It’s the fine line (sort of like the Tom Bihn launder tag) that makes something go. Obviously, I misoverestimated some readers.

2. brands don’t guarantee a virus, but they sure can get in the way. Clinton’s brand is so tarnished for a portion of the population that they’d likely refuse a cash gift from him. They certainly didn’t bother to read the post until the end… they just decided they hated him, it, and by extension, me. Worth thinking about when you decide to trade in a little brand equity to move people to, say, an opt out spam program…