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I Hate Only Making One Video a Week

2016-05-06 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:38 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria · mode: Personal essay · tags: self promotion

Hank says making only one Vlogbrothers video a week makes every ordinary video feel like a wasted chance and nudges the channel toward well-performing explainers, but views are no guide; the schedule serves projects the community made possible, yet Vlogbrothers and his obligation to Nerdfighteria remain the most important thing in his life as the channel changes.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — One video a week each; explainy politics videos do better; views are not guidance

  • ★★★ Hank says making only one Vlogbrothers video a week each makes him feel bad whenever a video isn't totally epic; a 'here's what's up with me' video feels like a wasted opportunity. — 00:00:01 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ Hank thinks this has, over the years, changed how people perceive the Vlogbrothers channel. (hedged) — 00:00:17 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★★ Hank says that over the last couple of months the explainy, well-researched politics videos have done much better than travel essays or more traditional talk videos. — 00:00:22 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★★ Hank says the view counts are not a signal for the channel's direction: more views are not a path to happiness or really to success, and they don't need views. — 00:00:37 · Vlogbrothers

00:00:58 — Mixing it up; why only one video a week (Wizard School, VidCon, SciShow, Crash Course); Vlogbrothers still matters most

  • ★★★ Hank says they must not just make more of what performs; they have to mix it up, because that makes the channel interesting for viewers and for him. — 00:00:58 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★★ Hank says they must make only one video a week mainly because the community has given them opportunities to do important things they believe in. — 00:01:08 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ Hank wants to make Wizard School an amazing game and VidCon an amazing conference, encourage new video creators, and make SciShow and Crash Course bigger and better. — 00:01:19 · Wizard School, VidCon, SciShow, Crash Course
  • ★★ Hank says SciShow and Crash Course are now bigger than Vlogbrothers in both views and subscribers. — 00:01:30 · SciShow, Crash Course, Vlogbrothers
  • ★★★ Hank says those channels are not more important to him: Vlogbrothers is by far the most interesting thing he has done, is doing, and probably ever will do. (hedged) — 00:01:37 · Vlogbrothers

00:01:52 — Obligation to Nerdfighteria; the channel changing, more guarded and less silly; Snapchat, Dear Hank and John, the tour

  • ★★★ Hank says viewers who rely on him for a good idea every week are vital to his life; he couldn't have done the last 10 years' amazing things without his obligation to Nerdfighteria. — 00:01:52 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★★ Hank says the channel has changed and will keep changing: as their profiles rose it felt less safe to be open, so they are more guarded now. — 00:02:16 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ Hank says this might also reflect the YouTube platform and the brothers maturing, being 10 years older; he feels less desire to be silly than in older videos. (hedged) — 00:02:27 · YouTube
  • ★★ Hank says his music has been on the back burner so long that many people don't know he writes music, which he never would have done without the channel. — 00:02:38
  • ★★ Hank says he now has Snapchat for silly stuff and almost a year of the Dear Hank and John podcast for conversational brotherly connection. — 00:02:44 · Dear Hank and John
  • ★★ Hank says he still gets to go on tour with the Perfect Strangers in about a week, one of his very favourite things: playing music for nerds. — 00:02:52

00:02:55 — Sad and excited about change; hoping never to let Nerdfighteria down; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank is sometimes sad that things must change, but loves seeing how they have changed and can't wait to see where it is all headed. (hedged) — 00:03:00
  • ★★ Hank hopes he never lets Nerdfighteria down; he spends a lot of time thinking about doing what they would want. — 00:03:11 · Nerdfighteria

00:03:23 — Pointer to a personal-update video on Hank's channel

  • ★ Hank says he has posted another video on Hank's channel about things going on in his life right now. — 00:03:23 · hankschannel

In the description and comments

  • ★★ The description says Hank expects to look back on these days as some of the best of his life. (hedged) — video description
  • ★★ The description says Hank is grateful for the things that keep him from making more videos: nothing on his list of projects is something he would want to stop doing. — video description · Nerdfighteria

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Projects: Crash Course · Dear Hank and John · hankschannel · SciShow · VidCon

Works: Wizard School

Organizations: Snapchat · YouTube

Groups: Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers

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