I accidentally make myself internet-famous from time to time. I write a thing on my blog, someone for whatever reason thinks it’s really interesting, and for a couple of weeks the number of hits goes up a few orders of magnitude. Then I sink into obscurity again, until someone else’s fanclub gets a hold of me.
In person, I’m fairly well recognized among the local burlesque and circus performers, but I don’t know if that counts as fame. I’m just kind of around a lot.
There’s probably millions of people around the world that have heard stuff I’ve created.
But there’s quite a few websites that list one of my pseudonyms as my real name.
And that’s the way I like it…
If I google my first and last name in quotes the first 28 hits are me. It’s a pretty unusual surname and I’m the only Firstname Lastname in the US. I’m slightly more famous now than I was when I responded to this poll because I work for a fairly visible law firm and I’ve published a little.
You… You… You must be Cecil Adams!
If I google my first and last name in quotes the first 28 hits are me. It’s a pretty unusual surname and I’m the only Firstname Lastname in the US. I’m slightly more famous now than I was when I responded to this poll because I work for a fairly visible law firm and I’ve published a little.
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I’m still the top three hits on my name on Google.
I did a vanity search a while ago on a Canadian case-law database, and my name came up as counsel in over 100 reported cases. But that’s a pretty narrow area of recognition. 
Hah! I wish!
Or, well, if Cecil is actually me, then he’s certainly doing one hell of a job impersonating an ignorant schmuck on this board.
I get recognized by my voice alone by a narrow group of people who hear me on my work radio. That alone is unnerving.
I am fairly well known by another online pseudonym and my writings have attracted the attention of certain government officials. Maybe they have a file on me?
Several tens of thousands know of something I was heavily involved in developing but wouldn’t recognize my name. I’ve mentioned my involvement to one person who broke into tears at having met me.
“Dusty, infamous is when you’re more than famous. This guy, Shakes, he’s not just famous, he’s in-famous.”
When I was younger, I was a DJ on the radio and anchored local TV news. (Very local, mind you) It was nice at first to be recognized, but often obtrusive.
Oh, I dunno. 100 reported cases is a lot. Unless Canadian case reporters include trial court orders?
No, reported decisions - cases where the judge gave written reasons (plus a few where the reasons were oral, transcribed, and reported).
Your surname must be Cooper!
Oh. “Reported decisions” here refers to appellate cases that are selected for reproduction in the reporter of record for the jurisdiction (in Florida, it’s Southern Reporter.)
Schenectady? Science fiction? You must be the guy that operates the PO box Barry Longyear wrote about in It Came From Schenectady.
I am pretty much a nobody, except among my mother’s quilting circle. I’m sort of a big deal there 
Kinda the same for me, except the numbers are nowhere near that high.
I’m one of the teeming, for sure. Anyone linked into high school baseball in a 5 county area of my state back when I played probably knew my name. These days my name is known by many in a particular segment of the auto industry, only in the sense that I have a lot of connections, not that I’m necessarily a VIP or anything. If you google me you’ll see a former NFL player with the same name take up at least the first page of results.
I voted local celebrity, but that locale is within the 5 companies I’ve worked for. I have a role where I become known to almost all employees. And, since I have a somewhat unusual name, people tend to remember me.
Has not translated into new found wealth or anything though, but it does keep me employed.
My name is shared (with one letter different spelling) with a character in Night Vale. This amuses many.
Not famous and never have been. However, I too am amused that if you google my name you will find the first few pages referencing a character from Harry Potter.
I’m a little bit famous within the small subculture of fans of the game I freelance for. I’m known for some well-received fan novels, a few stories that appear in game sourcebooks, and hopefully for the published novel I’ve got coming out next month in the game world.
Outside of that, hardly anybody knows who I am. 