• blogging for dollars

    CollegeHumor turns blogrolling into a business

    In a more innocent age, much earlier in this decade, bloggers traded links out of a sense of camaraderie. Over time, it turned into more of a quid pro quo: You scratch my back, I boost your pageviews. Now, blogs routinely auction off space in their blogroll. CollegeHumor, the IAC-owned juvenile-jokes site, has refined this business model even further. A come-on from CollegeHumor's marketing department encourages Valleywag to participate in its Linkswap program. Every link to CollegeHumor, it promises, will be returned one for one with a link to Valleywag. Thanks, but I think we'll pass. More »

    2:00 PM on Wed Jul 9 2008
    By Owen Thomas
    980 views, 3 comments

    Latest by Gilbert: The update nearly made me piss my pants. I commend you, Owen. more »

  • collegehumor

    Special girl-run Internet will be porn-free, but still quite pink

    CollegeHumor, the Internet's most unlikely feminist website? They've originated the homosocially delicious Jake and Amir Show, had a breakaway hit with the sex worker rights' paean "Moments Before 2 Girls 1 Cup," in which workplace health and safety for adult models takes center stage, and now have reimagined the Internet as if girls ran it. The only problem is — and this might even be due to the success of CollegeHumor and their comrades in boy-funny — girls mostly already do. More »

    3:00 PM on Fri Jun 27 2008
    By Melissa Gira Grant
    2,987 views, 2 comments

    Latest by Let's Form Voltron: Yawn. Didn't CollegeHumor run this trite piece of unfunny crap back in 2003? No wonder that site is more »

  • New York, minute

    Puppet video reveals all you need to know about Silicon Alley

    Gary the Puppet — who in the clip embedded below tours the offices of Tumblr, Next New Networks, Gawker, CollegeHumor, and Wallstrip — might be the perfect metaphor for the New York tech scene. It makes a big show of itself, but it's kind of flimsy and despite how it may look, somebody much larger and more powerful is actually running things. For New York tech, the puppeteer's hand is old media companies. IAC and CBS own College Humor and Wallstrip, respectively. Tumblr has its roots in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. So does Next New Networks, which just agreed to distribute its videos over Hulu, a News Corp. and NBC joint venture. And what's Gawker but a tape worm in Old Media's belly? Still, New York tech has this over the Valley: perhaps because of those old media connections, it knows how to present itself with a hokey smirk instead of new media's typical sassback. More »

    9:00 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    711 views, 3 comments

    Latest by justinj82: @Michael_Irie: I wrote and edited this piece, and have never seen the 1938 Media video, so to way it's a more »

  • caption contest

    Tumblr? I just met her!

    IAC subsidiary CollegeHumor's Hottest College Girl in America Party, held Thursday night at New York club Room Service, was not an official Internet Week party. Yet above, we have Tumblr's David Karp, said college girl and a piece of tape in photographic proof that such a minor detail didn't stop New York digerati attending. The photo needs a caption. Make your suggestions in the comments and we'll rename the post with the best one. Friday's winner is Vulture with: "Serge Faguet cameos in a John Hughes movie VH1 special."

    4:00 PM on Mon Jun 9 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    4,279 views, 23 comments

    Latest by cdog6000: Even though Rachel became a complete tramp, Ross still loved her. more »

  • facebook

    In Facebook's stead, Valleywag handily dispatches CollegeHumor beer pong team

    Earlier this month, employees in Facebook's New York office challenged employees at IAC property CollegeHumor to a game of beer pong via an ad in CollegeHumor's Facebook network. CollegeHumor took the challenge, but as we reported, Facebook's new management forced its employees to back out of the contest. It was an embarrassing development for all those who, like Facebook, call the Valley home — including Valleywag. More »

    4:40 PM on Thu May 29 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    1,636 views, 7 comments

    Latest by eze: nicholas, you already struck me as the type of guy who would be good at beer pong. this confirms it. more »

  • nerdfight

    Facebook caters to CollegeHumor with greasy apology

    Due to "PR concerns" — or rather, new COO Sheryl Sandberg's excessively grownup attitude — Facebook bailed on a scheduled game of beer pong against CollegeHumor. The people at CollegeHumor, an IAC subsidiary, were certainly nonplussed. But Facebook is flush with cash. Sure, it's supposed to go toward server upgrades, but sometimes bribery through food is a better investment. More »

    12:00 PM on Fri May 16 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    1,697 views, 5 comments

    Latest by dingdongditch: @DanLar75: You can, it is called Costco. Between 12-3pm you can eat all the wings, chips, cheese, sausage samples your more »

  • cubicle culture

    Facebook vs. CollegeHumor beer pong canceled

    The smack-talk inspiring contest of beer pong — known as beiruit in some quarters — scheduled between Facebook and IAC subsidiary CollegeHumor is off. Why? Because Facebook's PR and legal departments said so, CollegeHumor cofounder Ricky Van Veen told our tipster:
    Facebook's PR and Legal dept said they can't participate. I guess that's what its like working in corporate America as opposed to a fun Internet company.
    It's official: IAC's Barry Diller is the Web world's Fun Dad, while Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, brought in from Google to make Mark Zuckerberg's teen paradise more corporate, is Downer Mom. Cheer up, though, little Facebookers: Mother Sandberg did let you stay out late at the prom. Update: CollegeHumor is sad because they won't get to play with the smack-talk inscribed balls they designed specifically for this contest — pictured below. More »

    11:40 AM on Thu May 15 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    6,470 views, 10 comments

    Latest by RooftopComedy: Hey CollegeHumor, the beer pong masters at RooftopComedy.com will take your sorry action. We'll even let Facebook watch the beat down more »

  • online advertising

    CollegeHumor smack talk hits Facebook where it hurts -- the click-through rates

    When Google took on Facebook in ultimate frisbee, Facebook took the series 2-0. Now we hear a contest of beer pong — the drinking game involving ping pong balls, Solo cups and Milwaukee's Best — has been scheduled between Mark Zuckerberg's finest and the New York-based, IAC-backed CollegeHumor. CollegeHumor cofounder Ricky Van Veen began the smack talk early posting the above image to his blog. It reads:
    Dear Facebook, Looking forward to Thursday. Your winning percentage will be even lower than your click-through rates. Love, CollegeHumor

    9:40 AM on Tue May 13 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    2,225 views, 17 comments

    Latest by NoletaAntiphus: What a sad sad world we live in now. is this online life the only one we have? as for facebook more »

  • clips

    Unlike Zuckerberg, CollegeHumor parodies Steve Jobs on purpose

    Mark Zuckerberg wants to be the Steve Jobs of his generation. But his fumbling speeches have only shown how far he has to go. A tip, Zuck: Study CollegeHumor's parody. From the gesticulations to the light lip-smacking, the comedy website's mock Jobs keynote nails the Apple CEO. Look for CollegeHumor cofounder Ricky Van Veen's cameo as John Mayer at the end of the clip. More »

    8:00 PM on Tue Apr 15 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    3,326 views, 14 comments

    Latest by Fidel on the Roof: @Fidel on the Roof: Um... now that I thought about it, OJ simpson and President Bush do have some things more »