Fail Blog
Encyclopedia
Fail Blog is a comedic blog
website created in January 2008.
., the former Treasury secretary, and Ben Bernanke
, chairman of the Federal Reserve. By January 2010, FAIL Blog was receiving 1.1 million unique visitors per month. FAIL Blog's first book, Fail Nation: A Visual Romp Through the World of Epic Fails, was released on October 6, 2009.
), WIN!, Ugliest Tattoos, and There, I Fixed It and Memebase.
in 2009, for People's Voice in Humor and Weird. The site has been profiled in most world publications: the The Times
named FAIL blog their #3 comedy website, The Los Angeles Times called FAIL Blog, a "fan favorite," Time Magazine noted that FAIL Blog has "helped popularize fail as both a noun and an exclamation, not to mention an easier-to-spell synonym for schadenfreude," and the New York Times called it a “runaway hit.” The site is also commonly referenced in popular culture; The Huffington Post
called Netflix
a “walking failblog” in reference to their July 2011 pricing change and The Atlantic called a Chris Coghlan
baseball blunder "a debacle worthy of FAIL Blog."
In July 2009, FAIL Blog posted a screenshot of the Guinness record webpage for "Most Individuals Killed in A Terrorist Attack" which was accompanied with a "Break this record" link. Guinness threatened legal action, and the story was picked up by TechCrunch
and CNET
. FAIL Blog’s YouTube
channel is the #15 most-subscribed channel of all-time, with more than 1.7 billion views.
FAIL Blog also has had a big impact on common vocabulary. It is now a household term to say "Fail" when people do things that are considered "Fail".
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
website created in January 2008.
History
In January 2008, FAIL Blog was launched, with a picture of a warning sign featuring a drawing of a baby stuck in a stroller as the site’s first upload. The site grew steadily in popularity; in May 2008, FAIL Blog was sold to Pet Holdings Inc. (now Cheezburger Inc.), becoming part of the Cheezburger Network. Huh notes that FAIL Blog "really started to take off when the financial industry decided to — ahem — fail." As an example, at a Senate hearing in September 2008, a demonstrator held up a sign reading “FAIL” behind Henry PaulsonHenry Paulson
Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson, Jr. is an American banker who served as the 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs.-Early life and family:...
., the former Treasury secretary, and Ben Bernanke
Ben Bernanke
Ben Shalom Bernanke is an American economist, and the current Chairman of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States. During his tenure as Chairman, Bernanke has overseen the response of the Federal Reserve to late-2000s financial crisis....
, chairman of the Federal Reserve. By January 2010, FAIL Blog was receiving 1.1 million unique visitors per month. FAIL Blog's first book, Fail Nation: A Visual Romp Through the World of Epic Fails, was released on October 6, 2009.
Site structure
FAIL Blog chronicles disastrous mishaps and general stupidity in photos and video. Users can upload a picture of someone or (something) failing at an activity, and have the option of captioning it with the words "fail", "epic fail", "X Fail", or "X; You're doin' it wrong" (X being the activity at which the subject has failed). There are also multiple sites under the FAIL Blog brand, including Failbook (which features FAIL’s on FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
), WIN!, Ugliest Tattoos, and There, I Fixed It and Memebase.
Reception and influence
FAIL Blog won two Webby AwardsWebby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
in 2009, for People's Voice in Humor and Weird. The site has been profiled in most world publications: the The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
named FAIL blog their #3 comedy website, The Los Angeles Times called FAIL Blog, a "fan favorite," Time Magazine noted that FAIL Blog has "helped popularize fail as both a noun and an exclamation, not to mention an easier-to-spell synonym for schadenfreude," and the New York Times called it a “runaway hit.” The site is also commonly referenced in popular culture; The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
called Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
a “walking failblog” in reference to their July 2011 pricing change and The Atlantic called a Chris Coghlan
Chris Coghlan
Christopher B. Coghlan is a Major League Baseball outfielder and second baseman for the Florida Marlins.-Career:Coghlan attended East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida...
baseball blunder "a debacle worthy of FAIL Blog."
In July 2009, FAIL Blog posted a screenshot of the Guinness record webpage for "Most Individuals Killed in A Terrorist Attack" which was accompanied with a "Break this record" link. Guinness threatened legal action, and the story was picked up by TechCrunch
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
and CNET
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
. FAIL Blog’s YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel is the #15 most-subscribed channel of all-time, with more than 1.7 billion views.
FAIL Blog also has had a big impact on common vocabulary. It is now a household term to say "Fail" when people do things that are considered "Fail".