How to Become Internet Famous

Guide Note *If you want to be Internet famous, but have no idea how, then this page will guide your through eleven of the most popular methods. It includes such Internet legends such as the Star Wars Kid, Randy Pausch and many more.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Method 1: Tape Yourself
Method 2: Temporary Stupidity
Method 3: Be Cute
Method 4: Be a Jerk in Public
Method 5: Alter Photos
Method 6: Make an Original Video
Method 7: Have Talent
Method 8: Be Knowledgeable
Method 9: Make Your Life Public
Method 10: Lifecasting
Method 11: Promote Yourself
Conclusion
References

Becoming Famous Tips

Taping yourself enjoying yourself is an easy way to become famous.
You must be willing to expose embarrassing moments of your life for most methods.
Many methods of becoming famous can have a downside to them.
If you are capable of making original videos or alter photos, you have a good chance of becoming famous.
Self-promotion is the key to making what you are doing popular, even if you're not really doing anything.

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Introduction

(Creative Commons photo by Simon Law)
Leszczynski Stanislaus once said, "What is fame? The advantage of being known by people of whom you yourself know nothing, and for whom you care as little."¹ Yet, it is something that many of us desire.

Where before we had to settle for more conventional paths to fame, with the invention of the Internet fame as become all the more obtainable and in some ways enduring; it seems like nothing ever dies once it is on the Internet. But obtaining Internet fame can be tricky unless you know how. This article will investigate multiple avenues to fame as well as methods to help keep your fame going once you've reached the top.

Method 1: Tape Yourself Having a Good Time

It appears that some of the most Internet famous individuals are average Joes and Janes that had a video camera and some free time. They then put the two to good use and video taped what most of us do in the privacy of our own home (but never admit to). If following their footsteps sounds like the thing for you, remember that the trick is to put your whole heart into whatever you've decided to do. Most importantly, you must also be willing to sacrifice your pride.

This is exactly what Ghyslain Raza did. Raza, better known as the "Star Wars Kid."
1. Raza decided to tape himself one day as he waved around a golf ball retriever like a lightsaber.
2. The tape was eventually found by a couple classmates and posted online in 2002.²
3. Since that day, it has been viewed over 900 million times and been parodied on numerous shows including The Colbert Report and South Park.³
4. Rather than enjoy his fame, Raza was humiliated and subjected to unbearable teasing.²
5. He eventually dropped out of school and sought psychiatric help to help him cope.²

Others, however, have enjoyed their fame, at least for a while. Gary Brolsma actively sought out popularity when he posted a video of himself lip syncing his heart out to the song "Dragostea din Tei" in 2004.⁴ Within weeks the video, better known as "Numa Numa," had been viewed by several million people and Brolsma was even asked to appear on network shows such as Good Morning America.

YouTube: Numa Numa (Time: 1:38)

Method 2: Experience a Moment of Temporary Stupidity

We all have moments when our brains seem to take a temporary vacation. If, however, your moment happens to be caught on tape then it might make you famous. Sometimes these can be historical clips, such as the 1970 news clip that shows what happened when city officials in Florence, Oregon, decided to get rid of a whale by using dynamite.⁵ But more often, they are recent clips that launch people into the Internet fame. That's what happened to Lauren Caitlin Upton in 2007.
1. Upton was a contestant for Miss Teen USA.
2. She was asked the question, "Recent polls have shown that a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?"
3. She responded with a long, rambling answer that was less than coherent.
4. Rather than hide her head in shame, Upton fought back by posting a response on her Myspace page.²
5. Despite her incoherent answer, Upton still managed to come in third in the pageant.²

YouTube: Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina Answers a Question (Time: 0:48)

But Upton is not the only one to earn fame through a moment of stupidity. Another example of this type fame happened to DEA agent Lee Paige.
1. Paige was in the midst of a drug education presentation in 2004 when he shot himself in the foot.
2. This occurred just moments after proclaiming that he was the only person in the room "professional enough" to carry a gun.⁶
3. An audience member was video taping his speech at the time. After the video made its way onto the Internet, Paige found himself the target of jokes and ridicule.
4. Paige then sued the United States government, whom he blames for releasing the tape.⁶
5. Paige claims that he is "no longer permitted or able to give educational motivational speeches" as a result of the notoriety he has earned since the tape's release.⁶ However, one would hope that anyone who accidentally discharges a loaded weapon in a room filled with children during an "educational motivational speech" would be prevented from doing said speeches in the future.

YouTube: DEA Agent Shoots Own Foot (Time: 2:49)

Method 3: Be a Cute Animal or Baby

Let's face it, we all love a cute animal or baby video. But merely posting one is not the key to fame-- one must be the cuteness. After all, you may have seen the Sneezing Baby Panda video, but do you have any clue who filmed it? Still, these videos seem to make numerous animals and babies famous every day. If you're interested, The Register suggests that cats may be your best bet for YouTube stardom.⁷ Some of the best examples include:
1. A baby panda who's internal forces surprises us all.
  - See the video on YouTube: Sneezing Panda (Time: 0:16)
2. Two otters who are obviously dating.⁸
  - See the video on YouTube: Otters Holding Hands (Time: 1:40)
3. A very cute Swedish baby laughing.⁹
  - See the video on YouTube: Hahaha (Time: 1:40)
4. Nora, a piano-playing cat who dreams of being Mozart.⁸
  - See the video on YouTube: NORA: Practice Makes Purr-fect (Time: 2:48)
5. A dog who found another way to get around.¹⁰
  - See the video on YouTube: Skateboarding Dog (Time: 1:28)
6. A young boy, Harry, who learns why you don't put fingers in your brother's mouth.
  - See the video on YouTube: Charlie Bit My Finger - Again! (Time: 0:55)

Method 4: Be a Jerk in Public

(Creative Commons photo by antje verena)
As with any media, the Internet can highlight both the good and the bad sides to a particular person's nature. Unfortunately, if you act bad enough you will discover it can make you famous. Of course, this is not the type of fame many might want. Take for example a woman in South Korea who refused to clean up after her dog when it made a mess.
1. Another passenger on the train took pictures of the woman and posted them onto a website.¹¹
2. She was soon nicknamed the "Dog Poop Girl."¹¹
3. Although her face was partially hidden, people soon were able to recognize her by her dog and her bag.¹¹
4. Eventually, personal information about her was also posted and the event made national news in South Korea.¹¹
5. The woman was so humiliated she eventually dropped out of college.¹¹
Of course, simply being a jerk is not enough for this method to work. You also have to hope that there is someone around you who not only has a video or digital camera on hand, but also agrees to collude with you and post the images or video online.

This may be why Andrew Meyer ensured his act was taped by allegedly asked a woman to tape him. You probably know Meyer better as the "Don't tase me, bro!" guy. Apparently, Meyer thought he would get tape of him asking Senator John Kerry an obnoxious question. However, when he refused to leave the microphone when his time was up, he was arrested. Meyer then resisted arrest, resulting in him being tasered and ending up in jail. Video of the event was posted on the web and soon had hits that numbered in the hundreds of thousands.¹² Come to think of it, this event might fit better in the Temporary Stupidity section.

Method 5: Learn How to Alter Photos

Altering photos, better known as photoshopping, was once reserved for journalists in need of tweaking the perfect shot.¹³ Now, it can be used to help gain Internet notoriety. However, it is an action that can backfire--just ask Dino Ignacio, who created the "Bert is Evil" website.
1. Ignacio photoshopped the Sesame Street character Bert into photos to make it appear he was involved with all sorts of evil acts including the JFK assassination and the murder of JonBenet Ramsey.¹⁴
2. The site was created in 1996 and won a Webby award in 1998 for "Best Weird Website."¹⁴
3. The plan backfired when an image of Bert with Osama Bin Laden appeared as part of protest posters in Bangladesh shortly after the 9/11 attacks.¹⁵
4. Although the picture was not created by Ignacio, he received the majority of the backlash from it when news got out about the image.¹⁵
A similar incident would have brought another man fame when images of him atop the World Trade Center were altered to make it appear that it was taken moments before the plane hit on 9/11.¹⁶ But the man shied away from the notoriety and fame. It was only after a Brazilian man claimed to be the tourist that the real "tourist" (a Hungarian) stepped forward.¹⁷

Internet Superstar: Episode 29 - Bert is Evil! (Time: 12:34)

Method 6: Make an Original Video

This method is difficult to define since many of the entries could also fit into the next method about talent. However, this section will focus on people who create something rather than do something. These videos seem to fall into two major categories. The first are videos where people edit other movies or shows into a new, usually surprising, format. That's what Jonathan Ade and Patrick DiNicola did when they created Brokeback to the Future a version of the Back to Future trilogy that was edited into an unconventional love story.¹⁸ Examples of these videos include:
1. YouTube: Brokeback to the Future (Time: 2:11)
2. YouTube: Darth Vader being a Smartass (Time: 0:46)
3. YouTube: Crank Dat Soulja Boy Spongebob (Time: 3:45)

Others choose to do their own acting or create animation for their original videos. One of the more creative of the lot includes the saga of Chad Vader. This video series features Chad Vader, the younger brother of the infamous Darth Vader, who happens to be the manager of a grocery store. The parody landed Matt Sloan, the voice of Chad, a real deal to do the voice of Darth Vader in the video game The Force Unleashed.¹⁹ Examples of these videos include:
1. YouTube: Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager #1 (Time: 4:46)
2. YouTube: Potter Puppet Pals in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" (Time: 2:06)
3. YouTube: Charlie The Unicorn (Time: 3:45)
4. YouTube: Shoes the Full Version (Time: 4:00)

Method 7: Have Talent

Talent seems to be the more unconventional method of earning Internet fame. However, this category seems to attracts whose fame is not nearly as fleeting as some of the other members. Probably the most famous member is Jud Laiplly. While you might not recognize the name, you have most likely seen the video. Laiplly is a motivational speaker who came up with idea of doing a dance to end his speeches, videos of which he then posted onto the Internet. The Evolution of Dance has made Laiplly a star in viral video history.²⁰

YouTube: Evolution of Dance (Time: 6:00)

Other folks whose innate talents won them internet fame (rather than infamy) include:
1. OK Go, the band which used the Internet to release creative music videos for their songs "A Million Ways" and Here It Goes Again."²¹
  - See the videos on YouTube: OK Go - A Million Ways (Time: 3:26) | OK Go - Here It Goes Again (Time: 3:04)
2. Arnel Pineda, the singer from the Philippines who posted videos of his band, The Zoo, on YouTube. The videos were seen by the band Journey and helped land Pineda the job as the new lead singer for the band.²²
  - See the video on YouTube: Journey - Faithfully (Cover by The Zoo) (Time: 5:21)
3. Randy Pausch, the teacher who delivered a moving lecture just one month after his doctors told him he was dying from pancreatic cancer.²³ The lecture made its way onto the Internet and into people's hearts.
  - See the video on Google Video: Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" on Oprah (Time: 11:32)
4. Tay Zonday, the singer of "Chocolate Rain" who is now working towards "real fame" on his own tour.²⁴
  - See the video on YouTube: "Chocolate Rain" Original Song by Tay Zonday (Time: 4:52)
5. David Bernal, (aka David Elsewhere), the Korean American whose breakdancing won a talent contest. He is now dancing on commercials for 7-Eleven, Heineken, Pepsi and Apple's iPod.¹⁸
  - See the video on YouTube: Robot Dance (David Elsewhere) (Time: 1:42)

Method 8: Be Knowledgeable

While this method won't necessarily make you an overnight sensation, it is still used by a number of people. Two popular iterations of knowledge-based fame are:
1. Creating a podcast. That's what Mignon Fogarty, host of Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, did. Her podcast became so popular that it ended up landing her an invitation to appear on Oprah.²⁵
2. Creating a blog. Perez Hilton quit his job to became a celebrity blogger. His knowledge of celebrity gossip landed him in the top 10 of VH1's 40 Greatest Internet Superstars.²⁶

Method 9: Make Your Life an Open Book

Some people try to gain fame by broadcasting their views and other aspects of their life. Some of the most famous of these Internet stars include:
1. Chris Crocker, better known as the "Leave Brittany Alone" guy. His infamous YouTube video, in which he tearfully begs people to leave pop star Britney Spears alone, has received millions of hits. Other videos of his are significantly less popular.²⁷ Cocker realizes that most of the people who watch his videos are not doing it because they like him.²⁸ He still manages to enjoy his fame even if it comes with a constant barrage of negative comments.²⁹
2. Nornna, a 24-year-old woman who posted over seven hundred clips that detailed her daily life.¹⁸
3. Mahir Cagri, a Turkish man who started a website in his quest for love (specifically to find the love of an American woman). The site became so popular that he landed on Forbes 100 top celebrity list.²⁶
4. Karyn Bosnak, a woman who decided to get rid of her debt by begging--online. Her website not only paid off her shopping debt. It also managed to land her a book contract and possibly a movie deal.³⁰
5. Christian the Lion, a video that chronicles the life of a young lion cub that was rescued by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall and eventually released back into the wild.³¹ See the video on
  - See the video on YouTube: Christian the Lion (Time: 1:17)
6. Kelsey Briggs, a 2 year old girl whose tragic death has managed to launch reforms in child abuse laws in Oklahoma.³²

YouTube: "The Kelsey Briggs Story" (True Story Original) (Time: 5:35)

Method 10: Lifecasting

Lifecasting is the process of making your own reality show and posting it on the Internet. Lifecasting is one step beyond video blogging in that the person broadcasts his or her life around the clock. Salon.com calls it a real-life The Truman Show, except that these Trumans are active and willing participants.³³

Lifecasting began with a college student named Jennifer Ringley who created her own show from 1996 until 2004 titled JenniCam.³⁴ While Jenni was limited to occassional snapshots of her dorm, new lifecasters are capable of wearing their webcams and do not necessarily limit their broadcasting to in-home footage.

Some of the more notable lifecasters (past and present) include:
1. Justin Kan: a San Francisco man who uses a head-mounted camera and a high-speed cellular uplink to broadcast his life.³⁵
2. HereandNow: a site which featured six Oberlin College students in 1999.³³
3. Kieran, the 35-year-old man who spent six months as part of a Internet television program that invited viewers to help make decisions about various aspects in his life.³⁶

YouTube: Lifecasting Can Make Anyone a Reality Star (Time: 2:40)

Method 11: Promote Yourself

Almost all people can become famous if they master the art of self-promotion. All you need is a website or blog, and a little computer knowledge. For this method personality is key, because that is what you are selling.³⁷ You don't need to have any skills or talent, all you need is a fairly large ego.³⁸

You must update your site or blog every day.³⁷
Be willing to expose every aspect of your life.³⁷
Add audio and video clips as often as possible.³⁷
Try giving something away for free such as a book or mp3 (make sure you own the rights to it).³⁹
Make it easy to contact you; publicize your IM names, URLs, screen names and email address.³⁷ ³⁹
Do things to keep your viewers interested.³⁸
Remember, Internet is all about short-attention spans. Keep things short.³⁹

Conclusion

Even on the Internet, fame can be fleeting. So make sure you enjoy that moment if and when you achieve it. As you go out to seek fame and fortune, you may find these other Mahalo pages helpful: How to Choose a Photo Sharing Site for Newbies, How to Customize Your MySpace Profile, How to Increase Website Traffic, How to Make Friends Online, How to SEO Your Website, How to Set Up a Blog for Beginners and How to Use YouTube Like a Pro.

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References for How to Become Internet Famous

↑ WorldofQuotes.com: Fame Quotes
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 MSNBC.com: Survive Your Inevitable Online Humiliation (September 6, 2007)
↑ Radar Magazine: Prisoners of YouTube (February 9, 2007)
↑ The Believer The Syncher, Not the Song June/July 2006
↑ BBC NEWS: Star Wars Kid Is Top Viral Video November 27, 2006
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 The Smoking Gun: DEA Agent Who Shot Self In Foot Sues Uncle Sam (April 11, 2006)
↑ The Register: 10 Ways to Make Yourself a YouTube Star (August 11, 2006)
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 Telegraph.co.uk: YouTube Reveals Most Popular Clips of 2007
↑ Media Culpa: Swedish Baby Among Most Popular Youtube Videos of All Time
↑ cbs2.com: Skateboarding Dog To Wow Crowds At Calif. Festival
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 ^11.3 ^11.4 WashingtonPost.com: Subway Fracas Escalates Into Test Of the Internet's Power to Shame (July 7, 2005)
↑ International Herald Tribune: Florida Student Arrested, Tasered at Kerry Forum Has a Penchant for Practical Jokes (September 17, 2007)
↑ Wired: Photoshop: It's All the Rage (November 19, 2001)
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 Internet Superstar: Episode 29 - Bert is Evil! (Time: 12:34)
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 CNN.com: 'Muppet' Producers Miffed over Bert-bin Laden Image (October 11, 2001)
↑ USATODAY.com: Wacky Tourist Guy popping up all over (November 20, 2001)
↑ Guardian.co.uk: Tracking Down the Tourist of Death
↑ ^18.0 ^18.1 ^18.2 TIME: How To Get Famous in 30 Seconds, p.3 (April 16, 2006)
↑ VanityFair.com: The Game Has Changed
↑ ToledoBlade.com: Youtube.com Makes Ohioan a Major Video Star (July 30, 2006)
↑ USATODAY.com: Blend of Old, New Media Launched OK Go
↑ YouTube: Journey's Discovery of Arnel Pineda (Time: 1:23)
↑ Carnegie Mellon University: An Enduring Legacy
↑ TMZ.com: "Chocolate Rain" On Tour (August 15, 2007)
↑ BusinessWeek: Don't Quit Your Day Job, Podcasters (April 9, 2007 )
↑ ^26.0 ^26.1 VH1: 40 Greatest Internet Superstars
↑ YouTube: itschriscrocker's Channel
↑ MSNBC.com: Don't Cry for Chris Crocker
↑ Eli Sanders: Chris Crocker
↑ SaveKaryn.com: About Save Karyn
↑ MSNBC.com: ['Hugging' Lion Owner Reveals Secrets] (July 30, 2008)
↑ KJRH.com: Kelsey Briggs Helps to Protect Other Children 3 Years After Her Death
↑ ^33.0 ^33.1 Salon: Real-life "Truman Show"
↑ CNET: The Greatest Defunct Web Sites and Dotcom Disasters, p.2
↑ SFGate: Man With a Cam (March 27, 2007)
↑ TechCrunch: Our Prisoner Should Be Interesting For a Good 5 Minutes
↑ ^37.0 ^37.1 ^37.2 ^37.3 ^37.4 Wired: Use the Web to Become a Superstar
↑ ^38.0 ^38.1 Wired: Internet Famous: Julia Allison and the Secrets of Self-Promotion (July 15, 2008)
↑ ^39.0 ^39.1 ^39.2 David Strom's Web Informant: My Top Ten Ways to Promote Yourself on Web 2.0 - David Strom's Web Informant (May 15, 2007)

How to Become Internet Famous Videos

South Park Studios: Meet the Internet Stars (Time: 2:31)
YouTube: Numa Numa (Time: 1:38)
YouTube: Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina Answers a Question (Time: 0:48)
YouTube: DEA Agent Shoots Own Foot (Time: 2:49)
Internet Superstar: Episode 29 - Bert is Evil! (Time: 12:34)
YouTube: Evolution of Dance (Time: 6:00)
YouTube: "The Kelsey Briggs Story" (True Story Original) (Time: 5:35)
YouTube: Lifecasting Can Make Anyone a Reality Star (Time: 2:40)

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