Viral videos are a great example of this.

The public becomesveryinterested in that personveryquickly, despite really only knowing a few seconds worth of information about them.

Heres what to know beforeyourinevitable 15 minutes of fame.

How does viral fame work?

Sometimes, viral fame is wholesome.

That man, Zack Tahhan, was swarmed by press and feted online.

Whats more, viral fame doesnt always evenstart outwholesome and take a turn for the worse.

It didnt take long for social media users to find his real name and start emailing his bosses.

Like Tahhan, he trended on Twitter.

If you find yourself trending, dont panic.

Youre not the first person to be in this position.

The first thing you should do is nothing.

Look how ugly she was.

They made fun of my slightly crooked teeth and made threads about how much I suck, she recalled.

I still have my inbox flooded with really terrible messages.

I just dont even open them anymore.

Think of people like Octomom Nadya Suleman or even Monica Lewinski.

You have to workand spend money.

Unfortunately, your financial and social backgrounds may play a role.

If at all possible, hire a publicist.

Jackson said, The big mistake a lot of people make is they hire someone when its too late.

If you find yourself going viral, you should hire someone within a second.

You also need to consider your existing life.

Would your employer be upset at you for becoming a public figure, even briefly?

Do you have something substantial to lose?

Not everyone can be like Kim Kardashian, turning one bit of negative publicity into a decades-long career.

Plenty of the temporarily-famous stick to their anonymous desk jobs (and may find that a relief).

Be sure whatever you do doesnt impact your ability to reenter your normal life.

Was it worth it?Absolutely, she said.

If brands start reaching out to you with deals, read everything carefully.

Consider getting a lawyer to read through anything that seems even a little confusing.

Prepare in advance

You may not know when your 15 minutes will come for you.

West Elm Caleb didnt, for instance, and neither did herodu jourTahhan.

(Or doit cant hurt to learn the art of tactfully answering questions without revealing too much.)

What you’re free to do right now, though, is clean up your social media profiles.

Delete yourvulgar old tweets.

Do you need all those sloppy party pics on your Instagram?

The Internet is ruthless and can be unforgiving, said Jay.

People will literallydiginto your past to find any reason possible to hate on you.