What is the difference between
'algorithm' and 'alchemy'?

Google has introduced "Buzz Targeting" on YouTube, a new way to wring ad dollars from the video site.

Buzz Targeting highlights videos that are about to go viral amongst YouTube users. The algorithm examines videos being favorited and distributed across other sites, among other criteria, then gives advertisers the opportunity to advertise around them. Ads incorporated on the ground floor can then piggy-back the video's popularity.

Movie studio Lionsgate was among the first beta testers for Buzz Targeting. The studio placed ads for The Forbidden Kingdom alongside 500 entertainment-related videos. While no figures on the campaign's success were presented, Danielle DePalma of Lionsgate said the program "allowed us to reach a very large, diverse audience."

It remains unclear how Buzz Targeting incorporates factors like demographic or location-based criteria. And while the notion of algorithmically gauging a video's ascension into pop culture is comforting, some skepticism is warranted.

At ad:tech New York last year, video blogger Kevin Nalty admitted to being uncertain why some videos go viral and others do not.

The wisest course, he told audience members of a user-generated video panel, is to keep your cost of entry down.

Nalty, known as "Nalts" on YouTube, produced over 500 videos before 2008.