Fameexperiment.com - Achieving Fame Online

Given the popularity of reality television and the subsequent fame of their stars, who’s to say that fame can’t be reached by even more “ordinary” citizens? The Fame Experiment wants to see if someone can become famous via the internet, simply by gaining enough exposure. The website will carry out their test in two stages. First, interested parties will publicize The Fame Experiment on their own blogs and profile pages. In exchange, they will get “fame points” that will make them eligible to be the individual randomly selected to become famous. Second, after a candidate is selected, these same sites will publicize that individual and link back to a blog and profile.

“Welcome to the Fame Experiment! This isn't a reality show, there's nothing particularly special about anyone who takes part in the experiment, but we're all interested in one thing, the power of the internet to generate fame. We're investigating the answer to one simple question: Can the internet be used to generate enough exposure for one person to experience public recognition?”

This is an interesting social experiment to test the different avenues of gaining exposure, and how easy or difficult it is to become famous. Because it is an innovative idea, it will likely garner a lot of buzz, at least in the blogosphere. Moreover, given the “experiment” label, if the individual does not become famous, it doesn’t mean failure for the site.

Can this succeed in any way without participation by more traditional media?