The Web Celeb 25

1. Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira)
Age: 29
What: Celebrity gossip blogger
Where: http://perezhilton.com/
Hollywood stars fear the wrath of Perez Hilton, a controversial gossip blogger with a poison "pen." Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, styles himself as "The Queen of Mean" and has earned a rabid following, thanks to his sense of humor, snarky voice and irreverent habits--like doodling rude captions on paparazzi photos. His blog is hugely popular, despite recent missteps, including erroneously reporting the death of Fidel Castro. And Perez is increasingly becoming a TV star, with gigs including guest-hosting The View, appearing as a contestant on MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar and hosting his own series of specials, What Perez Sez, on VH1.

2. Michael Arrington
Age: 37
What: Tech blogger
Where: http://www.techcrunch.com/
Who do savvy investors and tech-business cognoscenti turn to for help finding the next big thing? Michael Arrington, corporate attorney, entrepreneur and editor of the influential TechCrunch blog. The site obsessively profiles and reviews Internet entrepreneurs, products and services--and a mere mention of a company on its pages can make or break a start-up. Arrington has become a Silicon Valley star, one of the most influential business writers in the world, and is regularly cited or quoted in other media.

3. Mark Frauenfelder
Age: 46
What: Editor, blogger, illustrator
Where: http://www.boingboing.net/
When Mark Fraunfelder co-founded technology and culture 'zine Boing Boing in 1988, few would have predicted the project would eventually evolve into a new media giant. But in its current incarnation, Boing Boing is one of the most read and linked-to blogs in the world--so big that three of the five editors appear on this edition of the Web Celeb 25. Frauenfelder scores extra points--and ranks higher on the list than his co-editors--thanks to his work as the editor-in-chief of do-it-yourself magazine MAKE, a geek favorite. This year, he published a book, Rule The Web, about "how to do anything and everything on the internet--better, faster, easier." Boing Boing's expansion into podcasts and videocasts further increases his visibility.

4. Seth Godin
Age: 47
What: Marketing guru
Where: http://www.sethgodin.com/
In his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, Seth Godin says that the key to success is to find a way to stand out--to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins. Godin himself may be the best example of how this theory works: The marketing expert is a demigod on the Web, a best-selling author, highly sought-after lecturer, successful entrepreneur, respected pundit and high-profile blogger. He is uniquely respected for his understanding of the Internet, and his essays and opinions are widely read and quoted--online and off.

5. Cory Doctorow
Age: 36
What: Author and blogger
Where: http://www.craphound.net/
Cory Doctorow is a prominent activist for digital rights, and serves as a fellow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He's one of the editors of Boing Boing, a hugely influential and popular blog about technology, culture and politics. And he's also a science fiction novelist, particularly famous on the Web, where he gives his novels away for free (For more, see his essay, " Giving It Away.") In 2007, Doctorow raised his profile with a new short story collection, Overclocked, numerous columns and articles around the Web (including on Forbes.com) and participation in Boing Boing's new podcasts and videocasts.

http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/12/18/web-celeb-fame-tech-cx_de_07webceleb_1218top_slide.html