How to Become Famous on the Internet

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Andy Warhol's 1968 quote that "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" is looking increasingly prophetic as the Internet age advances. Here are some ways in which you can become a web celebrity and have at least your 15 minutes of fame.

edit Steps1 Push the HTML boundariesLearn the ins and outs of your computer. If you're still in the dark ages and you're relying on others to know how to manipulate everything on the computer while you just point and click, it's time to get net savvy. Get a couple of books, go online, and practice HTML. Be reassured that one day you're going to be able to change channels from ABC to CBS to social networks. Learn the basics so that when TV and the Internet truly become one, you'll be ready.Knowing how to perfect website content yourself is an important part of creating and massaging your image. If you need to rely on other people to do this, it can be frustrating and might not turn out the way that you'd like it to.If you haven't already done so, map out your personality profile for being online – the same awesome user name, the same awesome profile, etc., and you'll be able to cut and paste this everywhere once you've done the hard work on perfecting it at the outset.2 What unique "something" have you got to offer?Focus on what might make you famous. While fame and becoming famous can be an elusive concept, what have you got to offer other people that will set you above the online masses? There are some key elements that will help your quest:You're fascinating, interesting, unusual, alluring, or unique. Much Internet fame is about working the "cult of personality".You have something worth people's attention rather than being attention-seeking. What you have to offer readers and viewers is entertaining, enjoyable, and new (or presents a new way of looking at something age-old). It's about the information and entertainment, not about "Look at me!".You're fantastic at connecting with people and bringing out their best or firing up their energies. You're affable, funny, or fun, and at ease in the online medium.You're like a chameleon, able to gauge the changes in style and crowd moods to move with the times, updating and pushing the trends before you. Think Madonna of the Internet.Most of all, you're able to get across all of the above in a screen environment. A tall order but very doable with the right frame of mind and approaches.3 What sort of fame are you keen for?Define fame your idea of "fame". Do you want to be famous everywhere for being an amazing personality, a tech goddess, or the most followed social butterfly? Or are you more focused, hoping to become famous for being the best in a particular area, such as being the best blogger on women's fashion, the best video creator of science fiction spoofs, the best nature photographer online, etc.? Determine your style of fame so that you can remain focused on your online purpose. The second kind of fame is more likely online because fame is more "intimate" than the fame of movies stars and other celebrities.[1]If you're wanting to earn a living from being famous online, remember that a lot of "Internet fame" leads to speaking engagements, books, and a following of people keen to trust your expertise.4Check out Internet celebrities and famous phenomena. Learn what has worked for them and what sort of gimmicks, stunts, and brand portrayals they have used to good effect to increase and maintain their fame. YouTube has a lot of "Internet celebs", often consisting of people hoping Hollywood will take note. And there are famous bloggers, Tweeters, and Facebook contributors. Take a look at people who are famous in the areas that interest you most. Some examples:Venetian Princess (YouTube), Chris Pirillo (tech), Reg Saddler (@Zaibatsu on Twitter), Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), iJustine (viral video comedienne), Perez Hilton (gossip blogger), Kyle Macdonald (the red paperclip trader), etc. See also Wikipedia's list of YouTube celebrities at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_YouTube_personalities.LOLCats is an example of a phenomena.[2]It's sometimes worth looking at real celebrities online, the successful, tech-inclined ones like Stephen Fry, to see what you can "borrow" or adapt. The trouble with doing this, however, is that they are already famous and don't have to do much online to prove anything!5 Internet fame central!Expect your Internet quest for fame to require effort. If you want to be famous, be prepared to put in the hard yards. Working an hour a night and playing the rest of the day won't make you famous "just like that"! As well as being present, you'll need to create content of interest so that people have something to read or watch and enjoy. Do your best not to repeat the wheel, and definitely don't just cut and paste other people's content. Not only will your viewers have already read it but they'll be unimpressed by your laziness. That won't make you stand out online!Be dedicated. If fame is what you want, make this your passion, your hobby, your raison d'etre every spare moment. It isn't possible to ignore your online presence or people will forget you. Host chats, set up forums about yourself, hold a live video-link in to talk with others, update everything constantly, etc.Be patient and persistent. It might take a while to be noticed or to hit that right viral moment. Don't give up though; becoming famous usually takes time as you're continuing to put in a lot of effort.Be prepared to keep delivering what the people following you keep wanting! Be consistent and don't leave them waiting.If you don't like the idea of having to be constantly available, don't seek internet fame!6Publicize yourself. Publicize your IM screen names, URLs, and Net addresses everywhere and often, and reply to everyone. Treat the Web like your house: When people knock, be there to answer.Use real photos of yourself for avatars and profiles. People will want to be reassured that they're connecting with the "real you". Remember that the brand is "you".Social networking sites are the best, as many as possible. Try Buzznet, Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Glogster, and anything related to whatever it is you're promoting, such as blogging, moms, geeks, greenies, etc. is also a good new one. Add everyone – you'll need to have at least 300 friends to help start spreading your existence and catapulting you to internet stardom.Look for free pages with unlimited music, video, photo, etc., uploads, (whatever shows off your talents best) and find all the ways that these can then be connected to social networking apps. If it's a free resource, take advantage of it.Work your social network sites hard. Whenever you open an account, put your mark on it by making the links to your other pages across the internet very evident and easy to navigate to.7 Insert yourself into the internet consciousnessGet yourself spotted and transported around the Internet. Try to guest spots on blogs (especially the influential ones), and use web news aggregators such as Reddit, Slashdot, Fark, Digg, etc.[3]8 Improve your website!Build a website with personality if you want to build a fan base. People need to feel that you - and not an anonymous webmaster - are personally available at least on a regular basis, if not daily. Make sure to update every single day, and remember: If it's not interesting, users will click to the next page and move on.Update your site with new audio and video clips as often as you can. Give your visitors stuff! For example, give them video, streaming audio, images for their PSP, etc. If you want to offer rich content, you're going to have to spend a lot of time and a little bit of money, but it's worth it.9 A Lion Called Christian is one viral phenomenonUpload something that goes viral. Although it can be difficult to predict what will and won't rock the socks off viewers, give things a go and publicize them well. One great example of fame gained as a result of a viral video is the story of Christian the lion. The video of Christian the lion was originally posted on a fan site, three decades after making. From there, a MySpace user posted it to MySpace, then another person placed it on YouTube.[4] The resulting views in the millions made internet stars of Christian and his two original owners, Australians John Rendall and Ace Bourke. From this experience, some things to consider include:Find something that reaches out to people's hearts. A story that shows courage, strength, daring, and love will always have its place in people's hearts.Find something that is interesting. Test it out on your friends, or in a forum, first to gauge people's reactions.Think about who will get famous from this viral venture? Will it be you as the uploader and generator of interest? Will it be the people, creatures, or cause featured in the content you're uploading? Or perhaps, and optimally, all of you? While some of the answers are out of your control, if you want to be well-known as the person who set the viral item afire, ensure that you have an excellent launch-pad for it, such as a well written blog, an active Twitter account and a well-nourished Facebook. People will go looking for you if they know where to go.10Realize the fleeting nature of fame. Fame comes and goes. Even movie celebrities have their zenith and tumble into obscurity or have their downward spiral "problems" splashed across the tabloids or blog equivalents.[5] It always comes back to working it constantly, staying fresh, and enchanting your readers, followers, and viewers. If you're up to it, you might be able to maintain your online fame for a long while. Aim for fame of the sort that will cause you to be written up in the annals of Wikipedia, proving you've reached adequate notoriety. In this way, your fame will live on unassisted, unless someone deletes you, of course, but that's the Internet for you!

edit Video

Wanna be an internet star using YouTube? Knowing a few tricks will put you on the most-viewed list in no time.

 edit TipsThink about something that interests you, and search for it in an online search engine. You can find a message board or online community where you can converse with others about the topic.Make intelligent and thoughtful posts, and not only will others respect you, but they may like you and hold your name (or user name) in high regard. Many people may come to call you popular.Don't get into pointless arguments. Whether you're right or wrong, getting into an argument is both irritating and disturbing on the internet. No one enjoys reading how right you are compared with the other person, or what his mom looks like. Be friendly.Be wary of people you might meet on the internet, and avoid sharing too much personal information.Make a video about yourself or your talent, then post it on websites such as YouTube, and DropYourTalent.Use paid advertising if you think it's worth the price.Don't neglect the potential for your pets to become stars. The fame of pets can be just as fun!When you post content on your website or YouTube or article content sites, be sure to keyword it accurately. Check Google for what the most common keyword for your topic is and put it in the title AND the "keywords" field.

edit WarningsJust as the internet technologies can make you famous, so too can they make you infamous or even despised. It's a world where anyone can post pictures, memories, comments, videos, stories, etc., and people do. You'll need to keep your radar switched on at all times and be ready to defend yourself where necessary, or to know when it's best to just let things slide rather than giving credence to the muck-raking they represent. Don't feed the trolls!Be prepared for other negatives of being famous, including a lack of privacy, and the potential for cyber-stalking or even real life stalking. Have as many precautions in place as possible to protect your personal life and family members from the glare of publicity. Don't give away too much personal information. This includes asking family members and friends before making them part of your aim for fame.If you don't have something different from everyone else milling around online, you won't become famous.

edit Things You'll NeedInternet accessA gimmick or moreGood quality contentSocial networking accounts (as many as possible)Self images as avatars and for profilesVideo cameraCameraPhotoshop and other computer programs for enhancing content

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edit Sources and CitationsOriginal source of this article, Wired Magazine, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.08/howtocareer.html. Shared with permission. Originally written by well known comedian, Dane Cook (http://danecook.com).^ Anne Hammock, http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/01/roflcon/^ Anne Hammock, http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/01/roflcon/^ Anne Hammock, http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/01/roflcon/^ Wikipedia, Christian the Lion, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_the_lion^ Elert Gadget, Celebrities, http://www.elertgadget.com/palert/the_fame_formula_-_what_makes_people_famous_1765.htmArticles for You to WriteHere is a list of suggested articles that have not yet been written. You can help by researching and writing one of these articles. To get started writing one of these articles, click on the red link of a title below.

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