This Vlogbrothers Stat Blew My Mind
2021-05-14 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:48 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Nerdfighteria · mode: Personal essay · tags: self promotion, community lore
Struck by Alexandre Daly's finding that he and John both average exactly 759 words per video, Hank argues that the brothers made the form of the Vlogbrothers video together by influencing each other, so each one's work is also the other's; he then promotes The Anthropocene Reviewed, its fan site and virtual tour.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Alexandre Daly's stat: both brothers average 759 words per video; how Hank scripts his videos
- ★★★ Hank reports Alexandre Daly's analysis of the transcripts on the Nerdfighteria wiki, about 600 per brother: John and Hank each average 759 words per video. — 00:00:10 · John Green
- ★★ Hank says most Vlogbrothers videos since about 2010 are scripted; he writes scripts of about 650 words for four minutes and, he learned today, says about 110 words more. — 00:00:35 · Vlogbrothers
00:00:58 — Same pace means the same method; Hank Reviews Everything versus John's book; the brothers made the Vlogbrothers form together
- ★★★ Hank argues that an exactly equal count means more than a shared goal: they pursue it in the same way, having settled into a nearly identical pace of speech. — 00:01:05 · John Green
- ★★ Though the channel, community and projects are an amalgam of both brothers and the viewers, Hank had still imagined that what he and John do is pretty different. — 00:01:20 · Vlogbrothers, Nerdfighteria
- ★★ On the Turtles All the Way Down tour John told Hank his idea of star-rating facets of the human-centered world; Hank made Hank Reviews Everything in four minutes and never thought about it again. — 00:01:35 · Turtles All the Way Down
- ★★ Hank contrasts that John's version of the idea became years of carefully built podcasts and a deeply introspective book, as much comedic memoir as historical exploration. — 00:01:56 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast), The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
- ★★ Despite his last video, Hank says the brothers are not the same people: Vlogbrothers is cool because they experience the world very differently but share many values. — 00:02:05 · John Green, Vlogbrothers
- ★★★ Hank argues the brothers influenced each other so much that neither created the form of the Vlogbrothers video: they did it to each other. — 00:02:20 · Vlogbrothers, collective action
- ★★ This video will almost certainly not have 759 words, Hank says, but one data point can't show reality; together the data points tell a really specific story. — 00:02:35
- ★★★ Unintentionally, everything John makes is also very much something Hank made and vice versa; the collective nature of the project shows in the data. — 00:02:52 · collective action, Vlogbrothers
00:02:55 — The Anthropocene Reviewed book, the fan review site, the virtual tour dates and the release date
- ★★ What Hank took for a four-minute video idea John saw as much more, and it has become a deep, peculiar, captivating and hilarious book. — 00:03:00 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
- ★★ Some people have built theanthropocenereviewed.com, where you photograph the book in a place and rate that place on a five-star scale; so far only John and Hank are on it. — 00:03:08
- ★★ Hank expects more people to appear on the site soon. (hedged) — 00:03:18
- ★★ John's virtual book tour runs May 17, 18, 19 and 22; tickets include a copy of the book, shipped or picked up at a partner store, chosen by store or guest host. — 00:03:24 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book), John Green
- ★★ The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green comes out May 18 and all copies will be signed; Hank's is. — 00:03:40 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book), The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)
In the description and comments
- ★★ In a channel comment John says his strategy is very different: he writes 800-850-word scripts and cuts while filming and editing, yet they end up in exactly the same place. — creator comment · Vlogbrothers
- ★ In a comment reply Hank says John's videos tend to get more views, but the most viewed videos tend to be Hank's, because he makes more meant to go viral. (playful) — creator comment · John Green
Threads in this video
- looked back · The Anthropocene Reviewed: John's podcast reviewing facets of the human-centered planet (2017) — Hank recalls that on the Turtles All the Way Down tour John told him his idea of rating facets of the human-centered world on a five-star scale. (00:01:30)
- callback · Hank's star-rated reviews of things not normally reviewed, borrowing John's Anthropocene Reviewed idea (2017) — On the Turtles All the Way Down tour John told Hank his idea of star-rating facets of the human-centered world; Hank made Hank Reviews Everything in four minutes and never thought about it again. (00:01:35) → refers to Hank Reviews Everything
- refine · Do people achieve more together than as individuals? — Hank argues the brothers influenced each other so much that neither created the form of the Vlogbrothers video: they did it to each other. (00:02:20)
- predicted · Hank: more people will soon post on theanthropocenereviewed.com (2021) — Hank expects more people to appear on the site soon. (00:03:18)
- predicted · Hank: this video will almost certainly not have 759 words (2021) — This video will almost certainly not have 759 words, Hank says, but one data point can't show reality; together the data points tell a really specific story. (00:02:35)
- looked back · Turtles All the Way Down tour: John and Hank's US book tour (2017) — On the Turtles All the Way Down tour John told Hank his idea of star-rating facets of the human-centered world; Hank made Hank Reviews Everything in four minutes and never thought about it again. (00:01:35)
- progress update · John: sign about 150,000 sheets so every US and Canadian pre-order and first-printing copy of The Anthropocene Reviewed book is autographed (2020) — The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green comes out May 18 and all copies will be signed; Hank's is. (00:03:40)
- milestone · The Anthropocene Reviewed book: announcement and publication (2020) — The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green comes out May 18 and all copies will be signed; Hank's is. (00:03:40)
- asked · John asks readers to add their copy of The Anthropocene Reviewed to the theanthropocenereviewed.com map (2021) — Some people have built theanthropocenereviewed.com, where you photograph the book in a place and rate that place on a five-star scale; so far only John and Hank are on it. (00:03:08)
- milestone · The Anthropocene Reviewed virtual book tour (2021) — John's virtual book tour runs May 17, 18, 19 and 22; tickets include a copy of the book, shipped or picked up at a partner store, chosen by store or guest host. (00:03:24)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- John asks readers to add their copy of The Anthropocene Reviewed to the theanthropocenereviewed.com map (2021) — asked in 2021; no response reported; last: reminder, 2021-05-25
- Hank: more people will soon post on theanthropocenereviewed.com (2021) — came true
- Hank: this video will almost certainly not have 759 words (2021) — unresolved; last: predicted, 2021-05-14
- John: sign about 150,000 sheets so every US and Canadian pre-order and first-printing copy of The Anthropocene Reviewed book is autographed (2020) — kept; last: recalled, 2022-06-21
- The Anthropocene Reviewed virtual book tour (2021) — last documented in 2021; last: launched, 2021-05-18
- The Anthropocene Reviewed book: announcement and publication (2020) — completed; last: milestone, 2025-01-21
Mentioned
Central: The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
Also: collective action · Fiji Water · nerdfighteria.info · significant figures · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast) · theanthropocenereviewed.com · Turtles All the Way Down
Only in the description or credits: Alexandre Daly
Replies to
- continues · Are We The Same Person? — “Despite what I said in my last video, we're not the same people.”
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