What would happen if you put the entire internet in the same room? That was the thinking behind 2008's inaugural ROFLCon, a two-day gathering at MIT that brought together some of the web's best-known meme-stars -- those accidental celebs for whom fame is often a semihappy accident.
Think of Tron Guy, or "Gem Sweater" singer Leslie Hall, both of whom appeared at the first ROFLCon, where they were joined by such web-culture impresarios as Ben Huh, CEO of I Can Haz Cheezburger, and 4chan founder Christopher "moot" Poole.
The resulting conference (which I covered for Wired) was a perfect mix of the academic and the asinine, the kind of event where a high-brow discussion about harnessing the power of Anonymous could segue into a wistful geek-out over a particular LOLcat.
ROFLCon III kicks off Friday afternoon in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a lineup that includes not only some formidable online stars (including Paul "Double Rainbow" Vasquez and Antoine "Bed Intruder" Dodson), but also cultural theorists, artists, curators and entrepreneurs. There'll be lots of quasi-celeb sightings, but also serious discussions of .GIFs, supercuts and SOPA.
I'll be here all day today and tomorrow, reporting from the frontlines of net notoriety and navigating a packed schedule of must-see panels. Check back here for updates throughout the day, unless I get abducted by trolls.
