Wired.com recently created an algorithm widget-thingamajig called Celebrity Meter, which will tell you exactly how internet famous you are by tallying the number of webpages linking to you and how many friends you have on various social networks. But before you go running off to calculate whether you’re famous enough to need an alias the next time you make dinner reservations or a bodyguard when you go out in public, think about what it actually means to be internet famous. Will designers start clamoring to dress you? Will the tabloids start seeing a ‘baby bump’ every time you indulge in a burger? And will John McCain spoof you in his next campaign ad? Just how different is internet fame from real life fame? To get a better idea, let’s compare two archetypes: Julia Allison, who’s internet famous (and WIRED Magazine’s covergirl this month), and Jessica Simpson who’s real life famous. Both women are in their late 20’s, both admittedly love the limelight and all things girlie, and both are interested in promoting themselves as brands. So how do they stack up against one another? Keep reading »
