Know Your Meme + Cheezburger

KYM News: We Can Haz Cheezburgers?

Hi everyone! We have some updates on the future of Know Your Meme. After nearly three years of residency at Rocketboom, the Institute of Internet Studies is relocating its research facilities and faculty under the roof of Cheezburger, the Internet publisher best known for classic websites like I Can Has Cheezburger and FAILblog. With two awesome towns of interweb experts now combined, we'll not only be able to continue our focus on studying and documenting your internet cultures, but with all the moar sauce for cats, science and the max lulz.

Thank you Rocketboom and Hello Cheezburger! For more information, please read the official press release below. For more questions and your thoughts on the news, please join us in the KYM forum discussion.

Press Release

Cheezburger Acquires Know Your Meme

Seattle, WA, March 28, 2011 – Cheezburger (www.cheezburger.com), the Internet publisher best known for popularizing LOLcats, FAILS, and other Internet memes, today announced it has acquired Know Your Meme, the most authoritative site that researches and documents the history and origins of Internet memes and viral phenomena. Created by Rocketboom, a leading Internet video network founded by Andrew Baron, Know Your Meme is dedicated to giving people an accurate inside look at up-and-coming as well as already viral Internet memes. The research by Know Your Meme includes current trending topics like “Rebecca Black – Friday”, an amateur “musician” who soared into the Internet’s eye for her music video “Friday”, and “Zangief Kid”, a video clip and remixes of a fight in school where a boy being bullied unleashes a video-game style smackdown on the bully.

“I’m excited to see the Know Your Meme community joining the Cheezburger community,” said Ben Huh, CEO and founder of Cheezburger. “Since Cheezburger is the playground of choice for millions of Internet culture fans, this acquisition is a natural compliment for our community. Now, in addition to delivering 5 minutes of happiness through I Can Has Cheezburger?, FAIL Blog, Memebase, and The Daily What, we can help the public understand the origins of memes and how content goes viral on the Web.”

“Thanks to the amazing community, Know Your Meme has become the Internet’s go-to resource for understanding meme culture,” said Andrew Baron, founder of Rocketboom. "The academic rigor and unique tool set provides a foundation which people really respond to. "

About Rocketboom

Rocketboom is a daily international news and entertainment network of online programming based in New York City. The company covers and creates a wide range of information and commentary from top news stories to contemporary internet culture.

About Cheezburger

Cheezburger, the company which publishes popular sites such as I Can Has Cheezburger?, FAIL Blog, Memebase, and The Daily What, is one of the largest online humor publishers in the world where millions of people come every month to get their 5-minutes of happiness. Cheezburger counts a passionate fan base of 17.5 million people who upload more than 500,000 pictures and videos as well as view 400 million pages and 110 million videos each month. The company has been profitable since its inception with revenue from advertising, traditional media publishing including books, and merchandising.