Onscreen stardom

A young American singer is humbled by her internet success and shares her ideas for online entertainment

Yodeller Tiffany Jo Allen, 17, is one of the many artists to find fame on YouTube. Last year, she found herself in the top 100 featured singers four times. But despite its storming success, Allen doesn't know exactly what she's doing right.

'I'm not exactly sure why my channel is so popular. Lately, some of my fans have been sharing my videos with their friends. That helps a lot,' she says.

In fact, Allen's online popularity came as a surprise to her.

'I didn't even create my YouTube page. A fan saw me singing somewhere, videotaped the performance, and created the channel so she could upload the videos. I didn't even know about it. She then later handed it over to me, and I started uploading videos,' she says. 'The most important things I do [now] are uploading new videos, and responding to fans.'

Allen has been performing since she was a very young child. She released her first CD when she was only 10, becoming the youngest singer ever to have a No 1 hit on the Nashville Western charts. She released two more albums before she became a teenager, and has another album out soon.

But despite all her success, Allen remains extremely down to earth. She has set up a children's charity, using money from the sale of her CDs to buy passes to amusement parks. She then delivers them personally to children whose parents are serving in the military in the Middle East. And she is still making and uploading new videos to YouTube, climbing up the rankings ladder, and grateful for the opportunities the website offers.

'It is actually great fun posting videos on YouTube,' says Allen. 'You get to meet new friends, and a few of these new friends are now really, really close to me. I also feel really satisfied when I see supporting comments from friends and other YouTubers.'

While Allen clearly has obvious skills, she says anyone can be a success on YouTube with the right approach. 'Some of the most viewed videos on YouTube are of random things.'

‧ DO upload videos frequently.

‧ DO involve your viewers - for example, ask them questions.

DO reply to comments when you can.

‧ DO make videos about popular subjects, e.g. the latest music news.

‧ DO use a title that will catch people's attention - as long as it has something to do with the actual video.

‧ DON'T give out personal information.

‧ DON'T upload videos that are too long - your viewers will lose interest.

‧ DON'T use content from other videos without permission.

‧ DON'T take things that others say personally.

‧ DON'T believe anything you read, or anything a stranger tells you.