Cyberlebrity - the Forbes top 25 internet 'stars'

Forbes has compiled a list of what they reckon are the twenty five top cyberlebrities.

"Things change fast on the Internet--and fame is no exception. Nearly half of the online celebrities identified in the inaugural edition of the Forbes.com Web Celeb 25 failed to place on the list in this second edition. Among the casualties: YouTube star LonelyGirl15, who held last year's top spot, but has been usurped by a controversial gossip blogger. Other new faces include gadget gurus, video hosts and a boy genius CEO.

Competition was steep for this year's list. We collected data on 200 Internet personalities, and ranked their popularity in six categories. The final list of 25 names shows how the Web has leveled the playing field--so that now, even the unlikeliest character can become a star...

The past and present No. 1 Web Celebs share one thing in common: They both provide proof of how just about anyone can make it big in the digital age. "Technology has made these things easy for someone like Perez Hilton to do," says Currid. "It's an inexpensive, easy start-up. ... It's a really quick way to access people."

That's the face of fame in the Internet age: A kid with a video camera has access to as large an audience as the biggest Hollywood star. A mom with a blog can attract more readers than a best-selling author. And an opinionated entrepreneur can become a guru to millions."

This made me think of the famous quote from French singer/writer Serge Gainsbourg: "Les arts mineurs enculent les arts majeurs." As usual, my No Fugs policy is being stricly enforced so I couldn't possibly upload a photograph of chubby chunky Mario Lavandeira so I've used an illustration above from EW which I'm sure you'll all agree is much better than the real thing. Anyway, here's the list of cyberlebrities, just don't expect to see any of 'em in next year's list:

1. Perez Hilton
2. Michael Arrington
3. Mark Frauenfelder
4. Seth Godin
5. Cory Doctorow
6. Matt Drudge
7. Gina Trapani
8. Mark Zuckerberg
9. Harry Knowles
10. Robert Scoble
11. Frank Warren
12. Om Malik
13. Will Leitch
14. Jeff Jarvis
15. Kevin Rose
16. Kathy Sierra
17. Fake Steve Jobs
18. Markos Moulitsas
19. Xeni Jardin
20. Ryan Block
21. Glenn Reynolds
22. Pete Cashmore
23. Steve Rubel
24. Heather Armstrong
25. Darren Rowse

Um, I've heard of three of them. I must live in my own little world. I really don't pay attention to anything do I?