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.
!! Steps !!
Push the HTML boundaries Learn 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.
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.
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.
Check 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!
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'être 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!
Publicize 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.
Insert yourself into the internet consciousness Get 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] 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.
A Lion Called Christian is one viral phenomenon Upload 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.
* Realize 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!
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Think 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 such as Google Adsense or other services 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!
!! Warnings !!
* Just 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.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Internet access
* A gimmick or more
* Good quality content
* Social networking accounts (as many as possible)
* Self images as avatars and for profiles
* Video camera
* Camera
* Photoshop and other computer programs for enhancing content
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Write a Famous Blog
* How to Celebrate OneWebDay
* How to Dissuade Yourself from Becoming a Blogger
* How to Test Bandwidth of Your Internet Connection Easily
* How to Know When To Talk To A Celebrity
* How to Become a Great Chatter
* How to Avoid Chatting on wikiHow
!! Sources And Citations !!
* Original 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).
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
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