How 2 Nerdfighters Took Over YouTube
This is a guest post by Muhammad Saleem, a social media consultant and a top-ranked community member on multiple social news sites.
Many people argue that the social web is actually destroying offline relationships and that relationships built through online social networking sites are nothing more than "superficial acquaintances." For brothers Hank and John, however, Brotherhood 2.0 has not only strengthened their bond but it has also allowed them to affect the lives of thousands of other less fortunate people through their "Nerdfighter Power Project for Awesome."
Hank, who is an environmentalist and the chief geek at EcoGeek, and John, who writes for young adults and is the author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katharines, and the upcoming Paper Towns (September 2008), decided that they were going to go 365 days with only textless communication (which means no email, no instant messaging, no texting, but very infrequent phone calls for logistical purposes) by using their video blog, Brotherhood 2.0, and posting videos back and forth. 11 months and 18 days into their experience, they launched their "Project for Awesome."
We have more to talk about, we know more about eachother. We laugh about our past and share current successes. It's a very unique online relationship, but it's been a very powerful and exciting one.
Opening YouTube's Most Discussed Videos page today, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the "secret project" had taken over not only the top 5 spots for the most discussed videos, but as I scrolled through the subsequent 5 pages, the project had effectively taken over most of YouTube.
To help shed some light on the project and how the Nerdfighters took over the 4th most popular destination on the web and the number one site for video hosting and sharing, I had a chat with Hank, one of the orchestrators of the coup.
Hank, could you begin by telling us more about the Nerdfighter Power Project for Awesome?
The Nerdfighter Power Project for Awesome was an attempt to take over the most discussed page of YouTube with videos that all had the same thumbnail image. Each of the videos promotes a different, worthy charity. It worked.
Before I ask you how you pulled this off, can you tell us which charities were promoted as a result of this?
There were more than 400 videos posted, but several people focused on humanitarian organizations in Darfur, UNICEF, Autism Speaks, The Humane Society, Toys for Tots, World Wildlife Fund, I'm proud to say that it's a very long list.
So, how'd you guys pull off this crazy stunt?
The project itself was the result of one crazy idea and a lot of planning. John said to me one day, "Wouldn't it be cool if the thumbnail for every video on the most discussed page of YouTube was the same image," and I agreed that that would, indeed, be cool. The most discussed page is one of the central ways for finding what's happening on YT, and PopURLs pulls from it for it's YouTube section. So, after a lot of discussion with people who are really involved in the YouTube community, and who know how this kind of thing works, we came up with a plan.
We messaged a bunch of high-profile YouTubers that we know (people who's videos regularly get more than 1M views per week), and we asked them if they wanted to be involved in a project that was designed to reduce "world suck" and we got a lot of interested replies. So we then took the idea to our audience and asked folks to sign up for a mailing list if they wanted to be involved in a "secret project." About 4,000 people signed up in the first week. We then designed a thumbnail graphic (thanks to FallofAutumnDistro for that) and distributed it to the top YouTubers and to our fans and asked everyone to spotlight a charity that they believe in because, y'know, it's Christmas, and one of the central themes of Brotherhood 2.0 has always been "reducing world suck." We asked everyone to upload their video exactly at 12 noon EST, and they did, even in Australia, where it was like 4 am!
Then we sent out messages to those 4,000 nerdfighters asking them to comment, rate and favorite the videos that were exceptional. And, in less than 24 hours we'd taken over the whole page.
That's great, because it's all for many good causes. I know it's a little early to tell, but if you can tell us, what effect has this project had on Brotherhood 2.0, and how successful do you think it is (or will be) in spreading awareness about and actually leading to results for the charities that the videos promote?
As far as Brotherhood 2.0 is concerned, our YouTube subscribers have gone from 11,000 to 12,000, which is a big jump for one day. Furthermore, the video that we made is now our second most viewed video ever with 90,000 views. As for the charities, I've received several messages from people saying that they have given to charities profiled. But I imagine I'm not getting an email from every single person who donates. There's no reporting mechanism, but anecdotal evidence is promising.
There you have it. It's Christmas time and the Nerdfighters are doing their part to help the less fortunate. Join the Nerdfighters at Brotherhood 2.0 and spread the love.
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As always and forever, Nerdfighters, FTW!
Thanks for a great year, John and Hank. It's been filled with awesome, and has decreased much suck.
And you two will never, ever, forget to be awesome.
Thanks again!
I know my finace hates me when i spend to much time blogging or on the net.
Nice read
Dale
http://dzrbenson.com/blog/
NERDFIGHTERS FTW!
Congrats John and Hank on a successful project!
Excellent item. I had to submit this to Sphinn. Go ahead and Sphinn it too, because this is an awesome project. BTW, I'm now subscribed. Keep up the sweet blogging :)
Smart and cool project!
As a long time quiet Nerdfighter from Australia, I'd just love to say thank you to Hank and John for all the many, many hours of entertainment they've provided over the past 11 months.
Their talent, creative pursuits, enthusiasm and their ability to grasp a single idea and run with it have been quite an inspiration to me and I find that the “Nerdfighter Power Project for Awesome” is one of their more brilliant strokes of genius. The very concept of combining the efforts (and internal awesome) of thousands of people all over the world to make the “Nerdfighter Power Project for Awesome” a reality is something that they should be truly proud of. I am sure that I am not the only person that finds the idea of participation with thousands of strangers all over the planet to achieve one central goal appealing, and the success is immediately evident on YouTube and subsequent media releases such as the one above.
To some people, it may appear as a vain ploy to attain more popularity, but if you’ve been watching the crazy ride that is Brotherhood2.0 from the beginning as I have, you’ll know that the "Nerdfighter Power Project for Awesome." Is one of the most inspired and genuinely innovative efforts that most people will ever have the privilege to see.
And so, I salute you, John and Hank, and say thank you, for making a world that appears to be bleak at times, just a little brighter in more ways than one. Although I dread the end of Brotherhood2.0, all I can say is… at least we got a lot of laughs. And that ain’t bad.
DFTBA
way to go nerdfighters! dftba!
Nice article, efficient and accurate.
Watching the end of B2.0 approach is sad. But in some ways it is almost like your favourite band breaking up. I have to keep reminding myself that the awesome that continues to drive the brothers Green will pump on. Eco Geek will continue to grow and attract my attention. A movie of Katherines in some Paper Town in Alaska in the making. But there is more.
Those two brothers picked up a lot of Vlog skills and I find it hard to believe that they are going to put away their tech and and sit around with things on their head but nobody laughing. No, that won't be happening. Not in my pants.
Sure the pressure might be off to meet deadlines, but the pleasure will remain, and maybe just no more than a trickle of Green Vlog will run down our screens, but we will be here to lap it up.
DFTBA
Tim
Thanks for a great article. Any effort to decrease worldsuck is awesome.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/22/the-secret-strategies-behind-many-viral-videos/
sort of reminds one of this TechCrunch article
It is interesting the tactics people use to influence YouTube
DFTBA!!
DFTBA! and Nerdfighters FTW! Check out my own nerdfighter video at: http://www.youtube.com/evillion15
Hey , thank you very much for this great stuff! Keep up your great work! Greetings Daniel
GO NerdFighters!
This has been so awesome. I'm thrilled to have been a part of it.
Thank you John and Hank! You guys Rock Awesome!
And this article was great! =D
Merry Christmas, and A Happy New Year!
World suck sucks. Hooray for the nerdfighters.
Green and I really hope we'll see some videos in 2008, because it'd be such a shame to see all the amazing vlogging skills these guys have gained put away. Not to mention, we the NF's need our fix of awesome.
This project was really appealing, and it worked thanks to a lot of time and effort put in, so HOOHAA nerdfighters! This wasn't about popularity, but about directing attention at some worthy causes, and we were noticed. Now all we have to do is get some earning power so we can actually donate online ;) but we can always volunteer.
And thanks to the brothers Green for making this year a little different and the world a little better in more ways than one. dftba
HOO HAA \\NerdFighters//
DFTBA!!
Nerdfighter FTW!
It was an awesome project and I had a ton of fun with it. I'm really going to miss Hank and John once the year is up but at least we'll still have My Pants and all those great songs Hank wrote and the videos (which will hopefully still remain on YouTube and Brotherhood 2.0), so we'll just have to make do.
In the words of Hank Green, "Mostly I'm just feelin' sad. I know this could end real bad, but I wish it didn't have to end at all."
Yeah, I wish it didn't have to end at all. DFTBA!
Yes! Nerdfighters FTW! I love the nerdfighters, this project was such an awesome idea. I'm so glad I was a part of it. DFTBA!
Thanks for reporting on the Project for Awesome. Hurrah for all the nerdfighters and our humble yet awesome leaders, the Green brothers.
Thanks Hank and John! I'm going to go put something on my head to celebrate.
Susan
P.S. DFTBA.
Hoo Haa Nerdfighters!
I've been following Brotherhood 2.0 from the very beginning, and am a big fan of the brothers Green, and their shenanigans. It has been a fun, but also generous thing that they have done this vlog project publicly.
I just want to point out that it is because they created a community FIRST that this YouTube project was successful. They did this by sharing of themselves and encouraging others to do the same. As such, the B2.0 online community is less superficial than generic impersonal ones. However, it seems to me that it has become less personal and more diffuse as the numbers have grown exponentially over the year (especially following Hank's astounding Accio Deathly Hallows song). Perhaps the lesson here is that there is a price that comes with popularity and fame.
IMHO- Online communities have the same potential to be superficial or deep as real-time communities depending on the character and actions and sense of mutual connectedness and responsibility of the members of those communities. In fostering that connectedness, Hank and John have created something awesome. The YouTube takeover is evidence of their ability to inspire people to work together.
Well done, brothers and fellow nerdfighters. 2008 won't be the same without B2.0...
Way to go Nerdfighters!
Nhick
http://www.itrush.com
Not only was this a great idea for charities, but it was also a ton of fun for those of us doing it.
Go Nerdfighters!
I spent 12 hours on YouTube the first day leaving comments, rating videos, and marking every video I watched as a favorite. The second day I spent another 4 hours at it. I've gotta say that it was the best time I've had in ages. It's so cool to see people band together for a cause, and witness it actually work! HOO! HA! NERDFIGHTERS!!
Nerfighters!!!
i think the nerdfighter commenting overflow is hitting this article now!
oh, you know some marketing exec somewhere is saying: viral videos took over youtube for charity?!?!?! they coulda been millionaires! next up, they turn christmas into a crass commercial exchange.
Nice job nerdfighters, and may your holiday be a little less sucky too!
I had fun commenting and watching all of the nerdfighter vids yesterday! I did find three charities that touched my heart and have already donated. Thanks to my fellow nerdfighters and Hank and John for a great Christmas present to the world!
Down with World Suck!
This was a great day for me being such a small part of something so big actually brought tears to my eyes. It was among one of the best experiences i've had.
I'm so proud of all the nerdfighters and of course, John and Hank, for what we've accomplished. December 17 is a day that will live in awesomeness. Nerdfighters ftw, W00t!
that had to be one of the best days ever... OMG
we love our nerdfighters... DFBTA...
Being just a very small part of the Project for Awesome was absolutely amazing. It brightened my day in so many ways and made me believe in people again - that maybe we really can make a difference in the world.
I wish I could eloquently and adequately express my feelings and gratitude for the Brothers Green, but words fail me.
So, simply - Thank You.
Hahaha.. That is awesome.. Too many cats!