18 posts and columns on The Onion

Viral With a Purpose? Upworthy Finds Serious Web Content Worth Sharing.

in News on March 26 at 12:19 pm PT

Upworthy launched today, a viral aggregator that promises to find interesting and shareable content on important topics. That is, topics more important than your average cat video or nip-slip slideshow.
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Witnesses Reporting Backfire Heard From @theonion

Humor online is a tricky thing, as any misunderstood internet commenter can tell you. Part of what makes comedy work are subtle cues and indicators of “play,” that we’re in on this humor thing together. When the medium for that exchange is something as minimal as Twitter (you’ve got 140 characters, and that’s all), strip those subtle cues out and — well, stuff like this happens.

Boing Boing partner Xeni Jardin, discussing an “oddly presented” and largely misunderstood tweet from @theonion yesterday morning reporting that screams and gunfire had been heard inside the Capitol building

Aha! So This Is What You're Supposed to Do With Color!

in Media on March 25, 2011 at 2:13 pm PT

You could spend the day reading every link on Techmeme. Or you could watch a prescient Onion clip from 2009. Your call.

Facebook Actually a CIA Surveillance Program, Says the Onion

in Social on March 21, 2011 at 12:55 pm PT

Facebook is a “massive online surveillance program run by the CIA,” conceived as part of the Patriot Act and so successful at information gathering that Congress recently reauthorized its funding, reports the Onion News Network.

"Saturday Night Live" Knows Your Mom's on Facebook. So Does The Onion!

in Media on October 9, 2010 at 8:54 pm PT

“Saturday Night Live” just ran one of the cleverer bits it has put out in a long time: An ad for a mythical product that helps Facebook users cope when their mothers sign on. You’re going to see it all over the Web shortly, but if you can’t wait, here’s the next best thing: The Onion’s take on the same topic, from 2009.

Viral Video: The Ad-Whispering Google Phone

in News on May 18, 2010 at 12:15 am PT

You just know those big brains at Google’s HQ in Mountain View, Calif., have already been at work on this spoof idea from The Onion: A new mobile phone service that “whispers targeted ads directly into users’ ears.”

The Last Word on Twitter Ads

in Media on April 15, 2010 at 7:29 am PT

From the Onion, of course.

What Do Rush and NPR Have in Common? Internet Talk Radio Hub Stitcher Nabs $6 Million From Benchmark.

in News on April 6, 2010 at 4:30 am PT

Online talk radio aggregator Stitcher nabbed $6 million from Benchmark Capital and will use the money to give radio blabbermouth Rush Limbaugh, as well as the endlessly talking heads of National Public Radio, even more digital distribution. The San Francisco-based start-up often describes itself as the the Pandora of online talk radio. And like the digital music site, Stitcher lets its users create and customize their own free personalized talk/information/news radio stations.

The Real Victims of the Newspaper Collapse

in Media on March 19, 2010 at 7:00 am PT

The Onion is right: You can’t build a wall around your cubicle using Google News and Craigslist.

Why the Future of Video Ads Looks a Lot Like Ancient History

in Media on March 16, 2010 at 1:02 pm PT

The Web video business is still trying to get its hands around the right way to use ads. But the easiest sell is the oldest one: Integrating the advertiser with the clip, like this series of Starbucks-sponsored Onion videos.

A Clicker To Watch TV Online

in The Mossberg Solution, November 24, 2009 at 5:43 pm PT

Weekend Update, 4.04.09

in News, April 4, 2009 at 12:36 pm PT

No Joke: The Onion Wins One of Journalism’s Biggest Awards

in Media, April 1, 2009 at 3:38 pm PT

Is There Some Plum, Oops, I Mean Apple Event Today in San Francisco?

in News, January 6, 2009 at 12:00 am PT

Sarah Palin, Please Come Back! Hulu Traffic Drops in November

in Media, December 12, 2008 at 12:43 pm PT

OMG New GNR on MySpace! Oh…Nevermind

in Media, November 21, 2008 at 8:08 am PT