Time for AWESOME
2012-12-04 · announcement · John · 4:00 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Global development (also: Books & writing, US politics & society) · mode: Announcements · tags: calendar ritual, civic or action cta, self promotion, community lore, timely hook
John introduces the sixth annual Project for Awesome, framing it through his own privilege (Kenyon, internet access, $249 cameras) and the importance of extending opportunity, after celebrating Time naming The Fault in Our Stars the top novel of 2012.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Time Magazine names The Fault in Our Stars the top novel of 2012; Henry painting; visit to Kenyon
- ★★★ John says Time Magazine has just named The Fault in Our Stars first on its list of the top ten novels of 2012, ahead of Hilary Mantel, Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz and J.K. Rowling, and he is overwhelmed. — 00:00:00 · The Fault in Our Stars
00:00:29 — Kenyon Thoughts from Places video; John's privilege: race, gender, orientation, an elite small college
- ★★ John says he visited his alma mater Kenyon College, where he became a writer and an adult, a couple of weeks ago and made a Thoughts from Places video for Kenyon's channel. — 00:00:29 · Thoughts from Places
- ★★★ John says at Kenyon he kept thinking how privileged he is: his race, gender, sex and orientation are privileged by the social order, and he was outrageously privileged to attend a college with small classes and attentive professors. — 00:00:29 · the social order
00:00:58 — $249 cameras and internet access made their projects possible; extending access to opportunity; segue to P4A
- ★★★ John says he and Hank were also privileged to have internet access in 2007 and $249 for cheap video cameras at the end of 2006; without that, Vlogbrothers, Crash Course, SciShow, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and VidCon would not exist. — 00:00:58 · Brotherhood 2.0, Vlogbrothers, Crash Course, SciShow, VidCon
- ★★★ John says this is why he feels strongly about extending access to opportunities: many people could bring awesome things into the world but lack the opportunity. — 00:00:58
00:01:27 — P4A 2012: December 17th, the video part (upload at noon Eastern, embed and vote); Time aside
- ★★★ John introduces the sixth annual Project for Awesome: every year on December 17th the Nerdfighter and YouTube communities come together to decrease world suck. — 00:01:27 · Project for Awesome, Nerdfighteria, YouTube, world suck
- ★★★ John asks viewers to upload, at noon Eastern (5pm GMT) on December 17th, a creative video about a nonprofit or cause they believe in, ideally showing its work, and embed it at projectforawesome.com for voting. — 00:01:27 · Project for Awesome
00:01:56 — Livestream; money for the Foundation to Decrease World Suck goes to the five most-voted organizations at the board's discretion; 4chan joke
- ★★ John says a 48-hour P4A livestream will work to find and promote P4A videos by commenting, liking, favoriting, tweeting and tumblring. — 00:01:56 · Project for Awesome
- ★★★ John says money raised for the Foundation to Decrease World Suck goes to the organizations in the five most-voted videos, at the discretion of an all-Nerdfighter P4A board, so a rigged vote cannot win. — 00:01:56 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Project for Awesome, Nerdfighteria, world suck
00:02:26 — More than $15,000 already (NerdCraftaria, Evil Baby Orphanage card game); penny per comment; anonymous matching donors
- ★★ John says the P4A already has more than $15,000, thanks to Nerdcrafteria donations and to the Evil Baby Orphanage card game makers, who quietly donated part of their proceeds. — 00:02:26 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Evil Baby Orphanage card game, Project for Awesome, Evil Baby Orphanage
- ★★ John says that, as in previous years, he and Hank will donate one penny per P4A comment, up to one million comments. — 00:02:26 · Hank Green, Project for Awesome
- ★★★ John announces that four anonymous donors will match every dollar donated to the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, up to $50,000. — 00:02:26 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, world suck
00:02:55 — Matching up to $50,000; Indiegogo page around December 16th; sign up for the P4A mailing list
- ★★ John says an Indiegogo page will go up around December 16th; donations are not tax deductible, but all proceeds go directly to the P4A charities. — 00:02:55 · Indiegogo, Project for Awesome
-
★★ John asks viewers to sign up now for the P4A mailing list at projectforawesome.com, since last year's (2011) list was trashed, and promises it will only send email about this year's (2012) P4A. — 00:02:55 · Project for Awesome
“you will only receive email about this year's Project for Awesome, nothing else ever, I promise!”
00:03:24 — Sign-off: calling the Yeti with the news; pointing joke
- ★ John signs off saying he has to call the Yeti to tell her the good news. — 00:03:24 · Sarah Urist Green
Threads in this video
- milestone · The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — John reports Time Magazine has named The Fault in Our Stars the top novel of 2012, ahead of Hilary Mantel, Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz and J.K. Rowling. (00:00:00)
- restate · Do people get what they deserve, or do luck and privilege decide? — John says his success rests on privilege: race, gender and orientation, an elite small college, and money and internet access to start vlogging; many others lack such opportunities. (00:00:29)
- announced · P4A 2012 edition — John introduces the sixth annual Project for Awesome on December 17th: upload videos at noon Eastern, embed them at projectforawesome.com for votes, a 48-hour livestream, and funds to the five most-voted organizations at the all-Nerdfighter board's discretion. (00:01:27)
- asked · John asks Nerdfighters to make P4A 2012 videos about charities they care about (2012) — John asks viewers to upload a video about a nonprofit or cause they believe in at noon Eastern on December 17th and embed it at projectforawesome.com. (00:01:27)
- milestone · P4A 2012 edition — John reports the P4A 2012 pot already holds more than $15,000 and that four anonymous donors will match donations up to $50,000. (00:02:26)
- outcome · Evil Baby Orphanage card game: a game company's Kickstarter campaign (2012) — John reports that the makers of the Evil Baby Orphanage card game quietly donated a portion of the proceeds to the Foundation to Decrease World Suck. (00:02:26)
- promised · John: donate a penny to charity for every comment on a P4A 2012 video (2012) — John says that, as in previous years, he and Hank will donate one penny per P4A comment, up to one million comments. (00:02:26)
- asked · Hank asks viewers to sign up for the P4A 2012 mailing list (2012) — John asks viewers to go to projectforawesome.com now and sign up for this year's (2012) P4A mailing list; last year's (2011) list was trashed. (00:02:55)
- promised · John: P4A 2012 mailing-list members will get only email about this year's P4A (2012) — John promises that P4A 2012 mailing-list members will receive only email about this year's (2012) Project for Awesome. (00:02:55)
- callback · John's wife Sarah as 'the Yeti' (2007) — John signs off saying he has to call the Yeti to tell her the good news. (00:03:24)
- callback · The Evil Baby Orphanage (2007) — John says the P4A already has more than $15,000, thanks to Nerdcrafteria donations and to the Evil Baby Orphanage card game makers, who quietly donated part of their proceeds. (00:02:26)
- milestone · Thoughts From Places: the vlogbrothers' series of visual essays from places (2010) — John says he visited his alma mater Kenyon College, where he became a writer and an adult, a couple of weeks ago and made a Thoughts from Places video for Kenyon's channel. (00:00:29)
- looked back · SciShow: launch of Hank's science channel (2011) — John says he and Hank were also privileged to have internet access in 2007 and $249 for cheap video cameras at the end of 2006; without that, Vlogbrothers, Crash Course, SciShow, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and VidCon would not exist. (00:00:58)
- asked · John asks viewers to vote for favorite P4A 2012 videos at projectforawesome.com to decide where the funds go (2012) — John says money raised for the Foundation to Decrease World Suck goes to the organizations in the five most-voted videos, at the discretion of an all-Nerdfighter P4A board, so a rigged vote cannot win. (00:01:56)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- P4A 2012 edition — completed; last: looked back, 2013-12-16
- John asks Nerdfighters to make P4A 2012 videos about charities they care about (2012) — the project it belongs to reported its result; last: reminder, 2012-12-17
- John asks viewers to vote for favorite P4A 2012 videos at projectforawesome.com to decide where the funds go (2012) — the project it belongs to reported its result; last: asked, 2012-12-17
- Hank asks viewers to sign up for the P4A 2012 mailing list (2012) — the project it belongs to reported its result; last: reminder, 2012-12-14
- John: P4A 2012 mailing-list members will get only email about this year's P4A (2012) — standing commitment (last affirmed 2012); last: promised, 2012-12-04
- John: donate a penny to charity for every comment on a P4A 2012 video (2012) — the project it belongs to reported its result; last: progress update, 2012-12-21
- The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — completed; last: looked back, 2026-09-22
- Evil Baby Orphanage card game: a game company's Kickstarter campaign (2012) — completed; last: milestone, 2013-06-21
Mentioned
Central: Project for Awesome · social privilege
Also: People: Henry Green · Hilary Mantel · J. K. Rowling · Junot Díaz · Sarah Urist Green · Zadie Smith
Projects: Brotherhood 2.0 · Crash Course · Foundation to Decrease World Suck · SciShow · Thoughts from Places · VidCon
Works: The Fault in Our Stars · The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Organizations: 4chan · Indiegogo · Kenyon College · Time · YouTube
Terms: doobly-doo · world suck
Places: Ohio
Characters: Hogwarts
Only in the description or credits: Evil Baby Orphanage card game · Nerdcrafteria
Also centred on social privilege: Neck Beards and Fitness Challenges · Started from the Bottom: Benjamin Franklin and Drake Compared · Deserving · Should I Feel Guilty? · How I (barely) Passed 11th Grade English · ...Not My Proudest Moment
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