Back from NerdCon: Nerdfighteria, John remembers Esther Earl, whose grave he visited and whose friendships began in the brothers' old BlogTV chat, and argues that ten years of Vlogbrothers are about people making things together, since fandoms are made interesting by the people who build communities around content; he thanks Nerdfighters for being here.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Greeting; NerdCon in Boston, talking over footage of Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers

★★ NerdCon in Boston was so amazing that John barely filmed, so he talks over footage of Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers playing songs about science. — 00:00:04
★★ John wants to say now what he struggled to say at the NerdCon closing ceremonies: he thought about Esther a lot that weekend. — 00:00:12 · Esther Earl

00:00:16 — Remembering Esther Earl: Boston, her grave, friendships formed in the BlogTV chat

★★★ John recalls Esther Earl, a Nerdfighter who with her friends helped run the Project for Awesome behind the scenes and who died of cancer in 2010 at 16. — 00:00:18 · Esther Earl, Nerdfighteria, Project for Awesome
★★ John and Esther met in Boston, where her Make-A-Wish brought him and some of her Nerdfighter friends; now they were there again, dancing and singing to songs Esther loved. — 00:00:25 · Esther Earl, Nerdfighteria
★★★ On Saturday (25 February 2017) John visited Esther's grave with her parents and one of her sisters; many Nerdfighters have visited over the years, leaving artwork, keychains and This Star Won't Go Out bracelets. — 00:00:34 · Esther Earl, Nerdfighteria, This Star Won't Go Out (charity)
★★★ Esther met her Nerdfighter friends in the comments of the brothers' old BlogTV live shows, staying in the chat after the shows: their friendship happened in a space the brothers created and then vacated. (hedged) — 00:00:44 · Esther Earl, Nerdfighteria

00:00:57 — Ten years of Vlogbrothers is not about the videos: people making things together; fandoms made interesting by people

★★★ Looking back at ten years of Vlogbrothers, John says he doesn't really think about the videos. — 00:00:57 · Vlogbrothers
★★ John cites Malcolm Gladwell's famous claim that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become expert at something. — 00:01:01
★★ After far more than 10,000 hours, John says he is still not really good at making YouTube videos; he can manage a jump cut, and that's about it. (playful) — 00:01:05 · YouTube
★★★ Instead John thinks about people making stuff together and using it to connect, such as the Project for Awesome and scavenger hunts. — 00:01:16 · Nerdfighteria, Project for Awesome
★★ John recalls an Amsterdam Nerdfighter gathering in 2008 where two people met who later married. — 00:01:20 · Amsterdam, Nerdfighteria
★★ John says Vlogbrothers is one of the very few YouTube channels where the comments are often better than the videos. — 00:01:27 · Vlogbrothers, YouTube
★★★ John argues fandoms are made interesting not by the content but by people who build communities around it: Harry Potter is special not because of J.K. Rowling but because readers respond deeply, enthusiastically and without embarrassment or apology, by dressing up, fanfiction, or singing. — 00:01:33 · Harry Potter (book series)

00:01:55 — Guilt, debt and gratitude; Esther isn't here, but you are here

★★★ John says the brothers have been incredibly fortunate that so many awesome people chose to invest themselves in Nerdfighteria over the last decade. — 00:01:55 · Nerdfighteria
★★★ John sometimes feels guilty for benefiting so disproportionately from something he only partly created; each Tuesday he tries to repay the debt, but it only seems to grow. — 00:02:00
★★★ At Esther's grave John kept wondering how to thank and repay someone who is gone for the lasting gifts of their love and friendship. — 00:02:13 · Esther Earl
★★★ When John loses people, their not being here never stops feeling new and cracks him open: 'she died' is a past-tense problem, 'she isn't here' a present-tense one. — 00:02:22

“She died is a past tense problem. She isn't here is a present tense problem.”
★★★ But you are here, whoever you are: the brothers are lucky and grateful to have you, and while here together, let's try to be kind and create spaces where cool stuff can happen. — 00:02:36 · Nerdfighteria

00:02:48 — Thanks to Nerdfighters for ten years; sign-off

★★ John thanks Nerdfighters for their comments, art, writing, collaborations and all the awesome they have brought into the world in ten years. — 00:02:48 · Nerdfighteria

Threads in this video

outcome · NerdCon: Nerdfighteria 2017 edition (Boston, February): celebrating ten years of Vlogbrothers — NerdCon in Boston was so amazing that John barely filmed, so he talks over footage of Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers playing songs about science. (00:00:04)
retold · Death of Nerdfighter Esther Earl, John's friend (2010) — John recalls Esther Earl, a Nerdfighter who with her friends helped run the Project for Awesome behind the scenes and who died of cancer in 2010 at 16. (00:00:18)
retold · John visits Esther Earl and her Nerdfighter friends in Boston (July 2010) — John and Esther met in Boston, where her Make-A-Wish brought him and some of her Nerdfighter friends; now they were there again, dancing and singing to songs Esther loved. (00:00:25)
told · John visits Esther Earl's grave with her family during NerdCon: Nerdfighteria in Boston (2017) — On Saturday John visited Esther's grave with her parents and one of her sisters; many Nerdfighters have visited over the years, leaving artwork, keychains and This Star Won't Go Out bracelets. (00:00:34)
restate · What is the community for? — John argues fandoms are made interesting not by the content but by people who build communities around it: Harry Potter is special not because of J.K. Rowling but because readers respond deeply, enthusiastically and without embarrassment or apology, by dressing up, fanfiction, or singing. (00:01:33)
restate · Is unironic enthusiasm better than being cool? — John argues fandoms are made interesting not by the content but by people who build communities around it: Harry Potter is special not because of J.K. Rowling but because readers respond deeply, enthusiastically and without embarrassment or apology, by dressing up, fanfiction, or singing. (00:01:33)