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Once Just a Site With Funny Cat Pictures, and Now a Web Empire (I Can Has Cheezburger?)
New York Times ^
| June 13, 2010
| JENNA WORTHAM
Posted on 06/14/2010 9:25:26 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Three years ago Ben Huh visited a blog devoted to silly cat pictures — and saw vast potential.
Mr. Huh, a 32-year-old entrepreneur, first became aware of I Can Has Cheezburger, which pairs photos of cats with quirky captions, after it linked to his own pet blog. His site immediately crumbled under the resulting wave of visitors.
Sensing an Internet phenomenon, Mr. Huh solicited financing from investors and forked over $10,000 of his own savings to buy the Web site from the two Hawaiian bloggers who started it.
“It was a white-knuckle decision,” he said. “I knew that the first site was funny, but could we duplicate that success?”
Mr. Huh has since found that the appetite for oddball Internet humor is insatiable.
Traffic to the Cheezburger blog has ballooned over the last three years, encouraging Mr. Huh to expand his unlikely Web empire to include 53 sites, all fueled by submissions from readers. In May, what is now known as the Cheezburger Network attracted a record 16 million unique visitors, according to the Web analytics firm Quantcast.
A more recent success for the company is a site called Fail Blog, which chronicles disastrous mishaps and general stupidity in photos and video. The network’s smaller sites include Daily Squee, with pictures of cute animals, and There I Fixed It, for photos of bad repair jobs.
Mr. Huh said his company, which makes most of its money from Web advertising, has been profitable since Day 1.
“Then again, it was just me and Emily in the beginning,” he said referring to his wife, who also works at the company. Cheezburger now has more than 40 employees and has not sought additional investment.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
TOPICS: Cheese, Moose, Sister; Pets/Animals; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: funny; internet; jpb; kitties; kitty; kittyping; lolcats; lolz; meme; napl
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To: nickcarraway
2
posted on
06/14/2010 9:29:52 PM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 508 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
To: nickcarraway
I love there I fixed it, funniest repair jobs ever.
To: nickcarraway
love failblog and failbook. and some engrish site offered by them, you could spend hours there.
this is price of having a girl sit with you in the 'tea bar' in china during the Olympics... that'd be my guess since prostitution is illegal, everything is under the table.
4
posted on
06/14/2010 9:34:28 PM PDT
by
VAFreedom
To: nickcarraway
5
posted on
06/14/2010 9:35:00 PM PDT
by
erkyl
(We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office --Aesop (~550 BC))
To: nickcarraway
You evil evil man, what have you done!
Whenever I get surfing that site I just can’t stop clicking next :)
6
posted on
06/14/2010 9:35:14 PM PDT
by
battousai
(Conservatives are racist? YES, I hate stupid white liberals.)
To: nickcarraway
The intro photo on the front page of
LOLCats is still the best ever, imnnho.
7
posted on
06/14/2010 9:35:15 PM PDT
by
SAJ
(Zerobama? A phony and a prick, ergo a dildo.)
To: nickcarraway
Fail Blog is one I visit regularly. There are some amazing fails to be seen. :)
8
posted on
06/14/2010 9:37:46 PM PDT
by
Nickname
To: erkyl; Admin Moderator
You are supposed to ping someone when you reference them. Re post #5
Whatever happened to the sidebar moderator?
/johnny
To: nickcarraway
10
posted on
06/14/2010 9:42:27 PM PDT
by
B-Chan
(Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
To: JoeProBono
11
posted on
06/14/2010 9:48:05 PM PDT
by
knews_hound
(Credo Quia Absurdium--take nothing seriously unless it is absurd. E. Clampus Vitus)
To: VAFreedom
that'd be my guess since prostitution is illegal, everything is under the table. I. Uh. Ummm. *blush* *nevermind*
12
posted on
06/14/2010 9:50:33 PM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 508 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
To: knews_hound
13
posted on
06/14/2010 9:50:42 PM PDT
by
JoeProBono
(A closed mouth gathers no feet)
To: nickcarraway
Oh noes! I’m sucked in! lol
To: nickcarraway
I’ve met Ben a few times, here in Seattle. He’s a smart guy with good instincts and a really honest, decent fellow. Good to see he’s succeeded so well (he also invests in other small, promising startups).
15
posted on
06/14/2010 10:26:03 PM PDT
by
PugetSoundSoldier
(Indignation over the Sting of Truth is the defense of the indefensible)
To: VAFreedom
that'd be my guess since prostitution is illegal, everything is under the table. I presume you mean 'under the table' figuratively rather than literally. :=)
16
posted on
06/14/2010 10:42:53 PM PDT
by
Bob
To: nickcarraway
Definitely popular sites around our house.
17
posted on
06/14/2010 11:16:01 PM PDT
by
Persevero
(Replace Howard Dean with Alvin Greene!)
To: Elsie; reaganaut; BearRepublic81; Utah Binger; Colofornian; Godzilla; greyfoxx39; ...
Absolute necessity ping (use this picture!)
18
posted on
06/14/2010 11:22:06 PM PDT
by
mrreaganaut
(View the wild curelom herds at Zion National Mounument!)
To: nickcarraway
Oh my gosh! Now I am stuck on wedinator! Worst. Wedding cake. Ever!
19
posted on
06/15/2010 12:15:02 AM PDT
by
Yaelle
To: Yaelle
I can't stop!
20
posted on
06/15/2010 12:16:19 AM PDT
by
Yaelle
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