John Green is best known as the prize-winning author of young adult books including The Fault in Our Stars. He also has a vast online presence, most notably on the video-sharing website YouTube. Green shares the spotlight with his brother Hank. The brothers have over half a dozen YouTube channels, including Mental Floss and Crash Course; their first, VlogBrothers, remains the most popular.
In 2007, YouTube was in its infancy when John and Hank started VlogBrothers. They agreed to post video web blogs to each other for one year. What started as a conversation between two brothers bloomed into over 1,100 “vlogs” and over 500 million views. Fans of VlogBrothers are called Nerdfighters.
In their vlogs, the brothers discuss a variety of topics: health care; world religion; and John’s dog, Fireball Wilson Roberts. Both of the brothers use a rapid-fire style of speaking peppered with humor; their tone ranges from serious to silly. Most vlogs have subtitles to aid listeners who have a difficult time hearing everything.
John is a professed Christian, but neither brother enjoys publicly engaging on the topic, mainly because, in John’s words, “the quality of discussion on this topic on the Internet is atrocious.” The brothers have also created Project for Awesome, which has raised almost a million dollars for charity. Check them out. The Nerdfighter in you will be glad you did.
About the Author
Kathryn Hoffman is getting greener every day, and she is a member of Neland Ave CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich.
