Boy was it a good time on Saturday. For those of you who weren’t able to join, I’ve got a recap below on some highlights from the agenda. So here is my story of ROFLThing NYC, from a Client Service perspective…

11:30// Register and find seat
- At entry, I gave my name and was greeted with “The Barbarian Group? Hmm, you don’t look like a Barbarian.” Good start!
- I consider sending out a company wide email asking, “What does a Barbarian look like?”
- It was packed

12:00// Opening remarks
- We all gave a good shout out to the internet, to the sponsors, and to TronGuy (http://www.tronguy.net/TRONcostume/)

12:30// You Suck at Photoshop guys
1:30// Jason Scott (the dude has a Twitter account for his cat, Sockington, and he has 10,000 followers)
- Both of these presentations were an explanation of the organic phenomenon of how their respective projects spread.
- One really good takeaway is that they left it up to the users to guide their next actions. They didn’t force people to create something viral (as so many of our clients request) but more so, just did something that they thought would be enjoyable, and worked with engaged users to take it all a step further. You can’t force these things.
- Best moment is when some obnoxious Anonymous kids were heckling and Jason Scott pointed to his presentation and said, “I baked a nice cake and it doesn’t need your jizz all over it.” (The kids simmered down a bit after this)

2:30// Break
- Rhonda and I rush to the bathroom, at which point we realize it’s AWESOME to be chicks at an internet conference cause the girls room is deserted and the line for the guys room it packed.
- We giggle about it.

2:35// Pick a track
- There’s an Internet Culture and Video track (Rhonda and I both went to this)
- There’s an Art, DIY, Hack track (Rhonda did not at all go to this)

2:45// Improv Everywhere
- The dude that founded this let us watch videos of the silly things they do
- You can watch some of these videos here: http://improveverywhere.com/missions/

4:00// The Future of Internet Video
- Jim Louderback of Revision3 did a lovely Q&A with our own Rick Webb (http://revision3.com/)
- R3 sticks to a small target for all of their shows (18-35, tech savvy males), as trying to spread across a ton of targets is less efficient for their business. “You’re screwed if you try to be too diverse.”
- On R3 shows, they do the typical pre/post-roll, but a more integrated way to work with advertisers/sponsors is to incorporate them into the show. It’s a bit more than product placement, and the brands allow the stars of the show to interact with and discuss the products at hand. Jim made a point to talk about the fact that their viewers are not part of a fan culture- they are a part of a friend culture. The way the shows interact with the viewers is on the same level, not that they are awesome internet stars.
- When comparing web TV to traditional broadcasting, Jim said, “The internet is about ruthlessly efficient business models and removing the barrier of entry.”
- One of the challenges they face is the fact that internet video is a new medium. You can’t simply take shows as they exist on TV, and put them online for the best viewing experience. Internet video has a different narrative, story arch, different way to tell that story. No one has perfected this yet.
- Another major difference between traditional TV, is that the audience has to be involved in shows online. It’s a two way street. BUT, here’s a delicate balance of allowing the audience to interact, but also allowing them to lean back and enjoy the entertainment. This also has not been perfected.

5:15// Vincent Connare (Comic Sans creator)
- We stare into the eyes of the man who invented the most poorly used font ever.
- He knows it and makes jokes about it.
- There’s a Q&A where the obnoxious kids ask “Have you ever been physically assaulted because you made this terrible font?” To which Vincent replies, “No, but I’m bigger than you.” I then fall a little bit in love with him.
- The most recent font he made that is his favorite is: Magpie (http://www.daltonmaag.com/browse/fonts/dama/magpie)

6:00// Closing Remarks
- Lots of clapping and “woohoo”s!
- Everyone heads outside for a smoke