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Snake, meet tail. The voyeuristic ouroboros that is Julia Allison's love affair with Valleywag got even more play in her coveted Wired cover story than her own startup did. Don't let us waste your time when you could be hustling us for fame; here's the 100-word version of her "secrets" to self-promotion.

Step 1, get noticed. Julia discovered a niche, positioned herself at its choke point, and stayed there until people started to notice. Gawker. A complicated symbiosis was born. Allison could cross "become a cult figure" off her to-do list. Step 2, keep them hooked. Valleywag ran photos of Allison canoodling. "I can't do this anymore. It's ruining my life," she wrote. More than 17,000 readers on her site that day, a new record. Step 3, extend your brand. Newly reinvented as a tech-world ingenue, Allison began entertaining plans to launch her own business. Signed up two friends to act as cofounders of the site — nonsociety.com. Even if her new site is good for nothing more than providing continued fodder for the cannons that are pointed at her, that will be its own kind of success.

(Photo by Platon/Wired)