Most of the 'popular' people, if not all, went through hate before being 'popular'. I'll take my example, in two days, 4 threads were made with the subject of hatred for me. That's what makes someone popular. Hatred is like an opportunity to prove your true value.
To be honest, Tiger, I don't really mind. Being popular on a game is, for me, really low in my list of priorities. I consider myself as popular because I have friend's here.
'Popularity' of late seems to be achieved by becoming ever present to get your name known until someone slightly more irritating than you comes along. You're then more accepted, they're the disliked one and so it continues, ad infinitum.