Scheduling Announcement: Party of the Internet 2008

So as the ever-threatening Anonymous and the crazyyyy kids over at Encyclopedia Dramatica (Jesus you kids are angry, do you need a hug?) have pointed out, there are so many memes that we haven’t covered. And, undoubtedly, there are so many memes yet to be sought out on our obscenely gigantic directory of internet memeage.

But we love them all. And we want them to be there.

That’s why we’re today announcing that the ROFLCon Conference schedule will include one massive party. With. Every. Single. Meme. That. Cares. To. Come.

SO…if you’re the originator of some meme that wants to come…

OR…if you’re an internet celeb who doesn’t want to be on a panel and just wants to meet your peers…

E-mail ROFLCon@gmail.com to RSVP for the party (and we’ll give you free admission to come to the conference, too!)

We’re also hammering out a preliminary conference schedule. Should be out fairly soon as soon as we figure out how to slice the panels (if you have any brilliant ideas, please let us know by posting on the forums!)

And yes, Snakes on a Blawg, this means you too. <3

BREAKING NEWS: Joe Mathlete of Marmaduke Explained At ROFLCon

It’s true, Marmaduke IS an asshole. And Joe Mathlete is pretty much the internet’s expert on that fact. And, after the usual scheduling hoo-haa, I’m glad to announce that he’s coming to ROFLCon!

Since 2006, his meta-blog, Marmaduke Explained, has provided absolutely hysterical commentary on the potentially the most insipid bit of syndicated comic-hood in existence today. Beyond the awesome factor, he’s another strong example of the internet as a powerful platform for speaking back (lashing out?) at pop culture. Looking forward to hearing his experiences and thoughts.

Woo!

Laughing Squid Sponsors ROFLCon!

Happy to officially confirm today that Laughing Squid, the amazingly amazingly cool San Francisco web hosting/art + culture blog group, has signed on as a conference sponsor with ROFLCon!

Is this totally sweet? Hell yes.

Speaking of which, if any of you folks reading this on the west coast are interested in getting the word out on this, drop us a comment on this post!

Film & Culture Scholar J.D. Connor to Join ROFLCon!

The past few days have been great for us in terms of bolstering our academic cred. As Natalie was saying, we’re aiming to make this a solidly academic discussion of the internet and culture, and not just a convention with costume contests or something. We’ll be having a ton of fun, for sure, but the ultimate goal of ROFLCon is to study this new and growing form of cultural expression in depth. To help us with that mission, we’ve been talking to various academics and scholars who can offer some perspective or thoughts about what these memes might mean to culture as a whole. So get pumped for a thought-provoking weekend.

Along those lines, amazingly enough, we recently got word that Harvard’s own English/Visual and Environmental Studies rock star, J.D. Connor, will be speaking at our humble conference. He teaches courses on Hollywood and the 1960s in both departments, and is also a pretty ridiculous fountain of knowledge about internet culture. Prior to joining the professorial ranks at Harvard, he was the ‘Fraymaster’ on one of my favorite means of procrastination, Slate. The Fray is quite a reader discussion forum; you can see how it’s different from normal flame-y web forums here. We are really, really stoked about his involvement with the conference, both in terms of his incredible behind-the-scenes advice and, now, his being on a panel, moderating discussions, and/or making sure the conference doesn’t devolve into a silly famefest. Badass in so many ways.

the man himself — don’t mess.