2 blog networks ruling the world of online niche humor

If you’re up-to-speed on your Internet memes, you’re likely familiar with LOLcats, those pictures of cats enhanced by hilarious and intentionally misspelled captions, made popular by the blog I Can Has Cheezburger.

But what you might not know is that I Can Has Cheezburger is only one of more than 30 blogs wrapped within the Cheezburger Network name. Featuring everything from outrageously ugly tattoos to cutesy pictures of adorable animals, the Cheezburger sites encompass the gamut of Internet niche humor.

I Can Has Cheezburger’s explosive success and expansion demonstrate a growing trend among blogs — especially niche comedy blogs. Food Network Humor, which satirizes the Food Network and its various TV chef personalities, is making a big splash in the world of online comedy — and it, too, is part of a blog network.

Food Network Humor operates under the PopHangover Network, a relatively recent venture that specializes primarily in humor based on the misery and stupidity of others. “Worst Thing I Ever Ate,” “Why Did You Buy Me That?” and “Unnecessarily Censored” are just a few of the network’s blogs that love to toe the line between mean and funny.

What’s unusual about the PopHangover Network is its scope. The network’s 13 blogs are operated by only two people: sisters Jillian and Michelle Madison.

“It’s just the two of us!” Jillian Madison said. “We write, manage, produce, and maintain all of the content on all of the websites ourselves. We don’t have a staff, we’re not owned by a big company, and we don’t have funding from anyone.”

As you can imagine, running a network of gut-busting blogs isn’t exactly a breeze; Madison says it’s practically a full-time job (even though she already has a real full-time job as a Web designer to pay the bills).

“I spend at least 7 hours a day physically at the computer writing and maintaining the sites,” she said, “but my brain really never rests. Even when I’m out at the grocery store, or out with friends, the next post or the next blog idea is always in the back of my mind.”

When all is said and done, it doesn’t how many hours you spend in front of a computer screen, or how many hits your websites get; the goal is to find and share humor wherever you can, even if it comes at the expense of Guy Fieri’s hair.

“We’re lucky enough to have some really passionate fans and followers, and it’s great to know we’re making a bunch of people laugh out there,” Madison said. “At the end of the day, that’s really why we’re here.”

Check out some of the two networks’ funniest sites: