Becoming Internet famous

I've been considering trying to become Internet famous lately. Mainly because I don't want to have to work.*

Internet famous seems to mean different things depending on who's writing the article, but this is not about attention. The goal is to have my output and persona known in a large, but shallow pool of watchers. And to make a decent living off it.

This will be hard, because I am reclusive by training, and occasionally by nature. But the Internet provides a decent curtain to pull when I want time off. At heart, this is about marketing, which I am bad at, yet intrigued by.

Here is what I think I need to become Internet famous and stop having to work. These may change:

1. A differentiator. Something clever and unusual, but not off-putting that will draw people to pay attention. It doesn't have to be MEMEME!!! It can be an artistic product such as a comic or just a clear viewpoint, well presented.

2. Consistent public appearances. Keep a blog or a Flickr page or a message board or a social networking site, and put in appearances/updates every day or more. Ideally, do all of these things, because more exposure leads to more fame.

3. At least 5 years. This is not a short-term project. One set of Tron costume pictures is a jolt in the right direction, but not the whole race.

4. Something to sell. This is how I stop working. I have further thoughts on this which I will discuss tomorrow.




Links:

Here is a simple how-to for becoming Internet famous.

There is an Internet famous class at Parsons New School for Design in New York. I doubt I'll be attending, but I can study the syllabus at their Web site.

Excerpt from a Time article about the class:

For all the tricks and shortcuts his students have learned — about how to use headlines, keywords and tags to attract the attention of search engines, and how to use social networks to seek out the audience that will be most receptive to what you have to say — Wilkinson said the key to attaining "legitimate famo" is the same as it's always been: quality, tenacity and persistence.

*"Work" does not equal "effort" in this scenario.