I managed to get an early night earlier this week because so many of my 
favourite sites had problems with Blogger. I left a few comments suggesting they switch over to WordPress like myself.
And especially as it seems that cool internet celebs are favouring WordPress too, according to top 25 internet celebrities listed by Forbes.com, including the No1 celeb LonelyGirl15, as well as Jeff Jarvis, Amanda Congden, Robert Scoble, Mike Arrington, Jimmy Wales, Merlin Mann and Om Malik.
Lonely Girl15 (pic) has become an extraordinary success thanks to Web 2.0. To millions of online fans, she was first known as Bree, a 16-year-old American teenager. Unusually self-possessed and literate, Bree recorded her private thoughts into a digital video camera and posted them on YouTube under the name Lonelygirl15, where she attracted millions of fans.
In August 2006, the videos were exposed as scripted fakes, and Bree was outed as 19-year old New Zealand-born actress Jessica Rose. But this just increased her fame, and in the media, Jessica became the poster child for the phenomenal success of YouTube and user-driven Web content. Jessica is now being offered movie deals and recorded a commercial for a United Nations anti-poverty campaign.
Forbes is quite clear that the face of fame is changing. The Forbes.com Web Celeb 25 is a list of the biggest, brightest and most influential people on the Internet, from bloggers to podcasters to YouTube stars, these are the people creating their fame through the digital world.
So will these fame hungry digital discoveries ever reach the same dizzy heights as Hollywood stars, desperately fighting off the paparazzi? Jessica has proved that it can happen to anyone if they have the talent – and the looks. Do film and record producers trawl YouTube searching for new blood to catapult into stardom? Have you discovered any great cyberspace stars? Does it give them a level playing field?
Thanks to Geoff for posting me this info.
Many thanks for the mention Ellee. Robert Scoble has expressed his displeasure about been included at all! See here http://scobleizer.com/2007/01/25/welcome-from-forbes-but/
“First, I’m a tech blogger, the article says I’m a political blogger”…
Word Press? Blank and I `ve never heard of the rest of them. I must be old and dull…..( Ellee if you could vehemently disagree I `d appreciate it …tragic)
Newmania, I’ve not heard of most of those on the list either – are we out of touch? It’s because the USA is so far ahead of us. I have met Robert Scoble and read his book, he was Microsoft’s top blogger and has been very influential in this field.
Forbes is incredibly high profile for listing the movers and shakers and top performers, it has its finger on the pulse. This list shows how times are changing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes
Geoff, Thanks for the link, it was very interesting reading Robert’s post and the comments. I guess it was Robert’s invite to post about John Edwards’ candidacy for the Democrats that led to Forbes calling him a political blogger.
This list shows how times are changing:
Times are usually also staying the same and as change is usually bad,and to be feared this is a great relief.
I don`t bother much with the business called show nowadays I `m to busy saving the world by flaying Liberals with the superior intellectual force of Conservatsim. ( As IT puts it)
You were much discussed last night at a summit meeting of David Allen Croydonian self Justin Hinchcliffe and JT.In glowing and complimentary terms
Yeeeeesh what a hangover
Newmania, Croydonian does keep exceeedingly good company. I would loved to have been a fly on the wall last night!
Ellee I don’t think it counts- but I know tons of students in the UK including myself who watch Jon Stewart’s show online from the US (if you don’t its brilliant), its interesting because I think him and Stephen Colbert are becoming quite famous over here and not neccessarily through being on Channel 4 but through having clips on the internet.
As to blogging- thank god I’m a blogger only a few people will be interested in- I thank god for my obscurity- I’d hate to be made a subject of press stories. I’ll leave that to Iain Dale!
WordPress rocks!
I’m doing some really wild stuff with WordPress now, and I love it.
The key thing is community. There is an amazing amount of support and information, and that attracts more people and so it continues.
I’ve got a site up that has things like weather integration, a feedback form and it’s set up to start with a WordPress “page”. All because of the plugins that were already built that I could use.
There are heaps of off-the-shelf themes too.
I would love to change to WordPress, Ellee, but it looks too complex. Your blog is a super example of how good it can get.
If I was starting a blog now, i’d go with word press, however, having got people to find my blog in the first place, changing the url would be a suicidal thing to do. Also, when I change my phone I can start blogging with blogger on my mobile, whichy I am keen to do so I’ll stick with blogger for now.
A singer/songwriter I met recently has a Myspace site which is working well in promoting her and her music. Visit at http://www.myspace.com/bethwalthew