Don’t Forget to Be Awesome

Vlogbrothers and Brotherhood 2.0

DFTBA Records

VidCon

International fandom

Nerdfighteria

Project For Awesome (P4A)

Six YA novels

Crash Course and SciShow

SAVING THE FREAKING WORLD!!

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If you had told the Green brothers, John and Hank, back in high school that they would someday accomplish all this, they likely would have freaked out or laughed at you.

I was first introduced to Vlogbrothers last year when an aspiring YA novelist posted a blog entry about them (it?). It was then that I was opened up to a whole new world of awesome.

I became a fan almost immediately. Immediately, my first reaction was simply, “OK, some really smart, nerdy brothers who share their thoughts on YouTube. They’re worth watching…” I soon learned that they’re so much more than that.

Nerdfighters and Nerdfighteria. This isn’t about nerds battling with light sabers; it’s nerds fighting to reduce “Worldsuck” — doing our individual small parts to together make a huge impact on making the world a better place. Such Nerdfighteria includes volunteering in your community, donating to causes in which you believe (if you can, as generally the targeted audience is teenagers), and P4A — a two-day period in December when Nerdfighters are encouraged to post videos promoting their favourite charities.

Even if you’ve never heard of Vlogbrothers specifically, you may have heard of John Green separately as a young adult (YA) novel author. He has his name on six different books, the most recent being the New York Times best seller The Fault in Our Stars. (This awesome book is currently being made into a movie starring Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace… and Willem Dafoe as Peter van Houten — so fitting, BAHAHA!)

Beyond these accomplishments (and continuous strives), they have also established DFTBA Records, a record company for musical fans such as Chameleon Circuit. Launched in 2010 was VidCon, a convention all about videos — celebrating our favourite YouTube channels, learning about current technologies involving video-making, and of course making new friends who share your interests! Scheduled dates for VidCon 2014 are June 26-28 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. (Stay “tuned” to VidCon.com for updates, or follow @VidCon_2014 on Twitter.)

In accomplishing more than that which I’ve gone into depth, John Green and Hank Green are so much more than just two brothers doing their part in making the world a better place; they are huge leaders in the fight against Worldsuck. (If you feel inspired and want to donate to help them in their effort, you can by going to http://fightworldsuck.org/.)

So long for today, and Don’t Forget To Be Awesome.