Best April Fools Gags of 2012

Let’s take a break from talking about web design tips, and concentrate on the 1st of April, a rare time in which companies, both formal and informal, get to display their sense of humour to their committed followers. As the internet and social media grows into a source for live information and updates from sources around the world, April Fool’s Day has become a great time to test the reactions of product and service users, and increase the rate of shares online. Here’s our own list of our favorite pranks in 2012.

1. Gmail Tap

It’s funny how when I first clicked on this video, I thought it was something that was real. Google has always shown it’s sense of humor, but when it comes to April Fool’s day their creativity comes out. This year they have shown that they can take any absurd concept and make it appear serious. In this video they even went as far as hiring LL Cool J to play a part in the gag.

2. Conan O’Brien buys Mashable

I logged on to my Twitter account, and I thought I was seeing things when the Pete Cashmore’s profile pic was replaced with the face of Conan O’Brien. It’s unclear why the top social media website did this, but for one day only O’Brien was in charge of the Tweets and content of the website.

3. BBC News: “The Earth has exploded, killing everyone

… and here I thought BBC News didn’t have a sense of humor. This is probably the funniest joke from 2012, from a highly unlikely source. You’d never think that BBC will pull off something so silly, especially when they’re such a reputable company. Kudos to them!