It also helps if you are adorable.Photo: Getty Images
Blogger and sex columnist Julia Allison hasn’t been sleeping lately. Why? Perhaps because she just lost her job at Star magazine, where she was a designated television spokeswoman. But more important, why should you care?
That’s a tricky question. The short answer is, you really shouldn’t. But a surprising number of people do — they’re the ones who tune into her Twitter account to find out what shows she’s appearing on, what she’s thinking about, or even where she’s walking at any given moment. You may even be one of them.
We’re talking about Julia right now because she’s microfamous. Chances are, if you read this blog and others like it, you are all too aware of who she is and what she does. But the vast, lucky majority of America doesn’t. That’s because she’s played the Internet fame game very well. And today, New York explains how you can do the same. Blogger Rex Sorgatz, who has had his own brushes with microfame, explains step by step what you need to do to become the next Tricia Walsh-Smith, “Chocolate Rain” dude, or even Tila Tequila.
Right now, plucky Julia Allison is grappling with the last step of the microfame process: persisting. Gawker, her holy patron, has declared that her Internet popularity is on the wane. With the loss of her Star job, and all of the television appearances that go with it, her pop-culture presence is headed in the same direction.
Don’t cry for Julia. She will be fine. When it comes to the microfame game, she is a master player and she’ll be back (probably right around the airing of her reality-TV show). Instead, use this as an opportunity to watch the blogebrity process in action. There might be something you can learn from it. Though we warn you, with knowledge comes great responsibility. Just ask the Chocolate Rain dude:
Yes, that’s somebody taking the giant face of Tay Zonday, a.k.a. Chocolate Rain, and tattooing it on his shoulder.
BLOGGER GETS THE BOOT AT STAR [NYP]
Related: The Microfame Game [NYM]
