Tips From Web Greats On Becoming a Legend In Your Spare Time

By Lee Gomes, Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2007

It's sad, really sad, to see so many Americans work hard and play by the rules without ever getting ahead.

YouTube is bulging with videos from citizens, especially young ones, who want nothing more than the American Dream: celebrity status without appreciable talent. They work long hours chasing the dream, doing take after take of their mash-ups, their parodies, their response tapes. But at the end of the day, they're no more famous than when they woke up, most likely in a bedroom in their parents' home.

If this sounds like you, you're probably telling yourself that you've just had bad luck. But real-life Web celebrities know better: They got where they are today not just because they were lucky, but because they knew a few secrets you probably don't.