Going Viral - Andy Warhol was Right

"In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes" 

Andy Warhol Exhibit, Sweden, 1968

You may not believe me, but you and I, we will eventually go viral.

While you may not know what is going to make the internet go crazy for you just yet, I'm already working out what I'm going to do with my 15 minutes of fame. You see, I think Andy Warhol's little sound bite about fame has finally blossomed. The future he was talking about is now. Has been for a while actually. So, when it's your turn, what are you going to be known for?

I am unashamedly political, it's true. I don't understand why more people aren't, to be honest, but then I enjoy debate. I like turning over ideas, finding fallacies in arguments, finding new points of view, nutting out what values I have in common with other human beings and wondering how they hold true values I don't agree with. Oh, it's simply fascinating! What really drives me mad is that so many people prefer to "keep the peace" and not argue at all, even if "the peace" actually suppresses them. Hence why I relish any chance to rock the boat and maybe wake up a few non-politicals for the 15 minutes I'm going to be famous.

You may have seen my little post on Facebook a week ago about applying to be the Federal Minister for Women (I say this not because my post went viral on Facebook - ha- but because I know it's only you Facebook friends that read this here blog J). I tagged some really great, gutsy, intelligent women in that post hoping they would apply alongside me for the role. What actually happened was they were all very flattered, but said, "Nic, you would make a great Minister!" Thanks for the feel-good girls, but that wasn't the reaction I was hoping for. You see, I wanted to start something. And I accidentally almost did. Again, it wasn't the reaction I was hoping for, but it could have made me go viral for all the wrong reasons.

On the night of the 13th of April, as promised in my Facebook post, I launched the ad for
Now Hiring: Minister for Women Job Application Challenge
I set up a Seek account for employers, had fun writing the position description and swallowed the fee for posting it. Then I shut my laptop, ate dinner, did my physic exercises and went to bed.

Screen shot of the Google result - the only proof I have left

Next day, while wondering why I can't see my ad anywhere on the site, I get a call from Seek. A lovely woman on the other end of the phone was kindly asking to speak to Nicole about whether the position was legitimate. I said yes, of course, it's a real job. She sweetly enquired whether I was allowed to advertise it. I asked why. Apparently they had received complaints about it not being real. Oooh! I thought. Complaints! Yay! I sensed she was actually on my side despite the fact that she worked for Seek and had to toe the company line, so I let her in on what I was trying to do. She said she really liked the idea, she even liked the ad itself, but sorry, she still had to take it down, ACCC and all that. I wasn't charged the posting fee and I felt like I had an ally out there somewhere in Seek.com, but I had thoroughly flopped at going viral.

Right.

Regroup.

My next action plan is to just apply for the damn job myself. Maybe I should keep applying and applying and applying and applying, emailing the hell out of Tony til he takes notice, a la the wonderful Dear John letters Richard Berry wrote to John Howard every week for four years (he was eventually asked to stop writing to the Prime Minister after a few years. I give Tony 2 weeks). Oh, and I would happily lend the book to you, but I don't know where it is...

I used to own this book...

Stand by for my draft application. You will all get to proof read it, maybe add some vitriol, correct my grammar a little, argue over whether my experience as a waitress is really relevant (oh it is, let me tell you) and then I will post it to Tony, the current Minister for Women.