ROFLCon

ROFLCon
Banner for the first ROFLCon, with A/S/L as a tagline
StatusRetired
GenreInternet culture
VenueMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Location(s)Cambridge, Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated2008
Attendance~600 in 2008
Organized byHarvard University Students
Websiteroflcon.org

ROFLCon was a biennial convention of internet memes that took place in 2008, 2010 and 2012, featuring various internet celebrities. All three events were at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ROFLCon was first organized by a group of students from Harvard University led by Tim Hwang.[1][2] According to Hwang, the inspiration for the conference was the September 23, 2007 meetup of fans of xkcd with its creator, Randall Munroe, in a park in North Cambridge, Massachusetts.[1][3]

The name "ROFLCon" comes from the internet slang "ROFL", short for "rolling on the floor laughing", and "con", short for "convention".

The original ROFLCon

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The first ROFLCon was first announced in late 2007, and took place on April 25–26, 2008.[4]

Various internet celebrities attended, such as the authors of the webcomics xkcd, Questionable Content and Dinosaur comics, Jay Maynard "The Tron Guy", Christopher "moot" Poole, Leeroy Jenkins, The Brothers Chaps, and many others.[1][5]

Attendance was open to the public after pre-registration and a fee. The primary events of ROFLCon were moderated panel discussions with the Internet celebrities, and question and answer sessions with the audience. Several guest speakers gave talks on issues pertaining to internet culture. The convention ended with the "ROFLConcert", featuring live performances by Group X, Leslie Hall, Lemon Demon, Trocadero and Denny Blaze.

Subsequent events

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ROFLCon II[6] took place from April 30 to May 1 at MIT. Passes were available from $45 for a student to $500 for a "Mystery Pass."[1] ROFLCon III[7] took place on May 4–5, 2012,[8] announced as the final ROFLCon.[9]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Walker, Rob (July 16, 2010). "When Funny Goes Viral". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "The Team @ ROFLCon" Archived 2008-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. roflcon.org.
  3. ^ "How ROFLCon began" Archived 2016-04-25 at the Wayback Machine (video). YouTube.
  4. ^ Wortham, Jenna (December 7, 2007). "Famous Internet Memes to Gather at ROFLCon 2008" Archived 2012-11-07 at the Wayback Machine. Wired.com
  5. ^ "Confirmed Guests @ ROFLCon" Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine. roflcon.org
  6. ^ "How I Got Famous on the Internetz". Vice.com. Vice. February 18, 2011. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Barrett, Brian (May 4, 2012). "At ROFLCon III, This Meme's Business". Wired.com. Wired. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "ROFLCon III – May 4-5, 2012". roflcon.org. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012.
  9. ^ Baio, Andy (2012-05-14). "The Final ROFLCon and Mobile's Impact on Internet Culture –". Waxy.org. Archived from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
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