New Project!

My previous post (linked here) hinted at this new project that I was considering working on this year.

Well (I'm kinda shaking as I write this...) I did it. Actually, I'm doing it. Yep. I'm starting a semi-weekly Vlog on Youtube. The link, you ask? Oh. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbAK5yDSS8&feature=plcp

So you may be asking yourself,  "Why Erika?! Why?" and to that I reply WHY NOT?!

I used to think that YouTube was for silly videos, music, and Starkid shows. But I've seen YouTube be so much more than that! There are people doing amazing music covers as well as creating their own music and distributing it to fans, creating original characters and content, or using the YouTube platform to engage and educate viewers.

There is also a negative side to joining YouTube. The haters. And I've thought about them, watched over 1,000 videos of people who also get their hate mail, and seen that with a tough outer shell the haters can just step aside. I'm sure this will be one of the more challenging aspects to this experiment. I'm ready to see how I respond and how I'll move forward/past it. That's honestly what this whole thing is about to some degree. I want to challenge myself to be vulnerable on what can be a very public level. I want to learn more about myself and the world I interact with/live in. I want to experience new things, meet new people, and make my 26th year unlike any other year I've lived before. These are high hopes and even higher expectations. I realize that there's a potential for major letdowns. While I'm not hoping for these things to fail or my heart to be broken, I can't continue to live my life in the "what if" of it all. I've done that before and it's not really working out for me anymore. So I'm trying something new...

With all that being said, Here's my first video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLbAK5yDSS8&feature=plcp

I've made 2 additional videos since and I'm hoping to pick a day of the week to upload a new video. For now I'm thinking Mondays.

And if you're so inclined (AND if you have a YouTube account) you can subscribe to watch the new stuff that comes out! Also...give me ideas for things that you would like me to do, discuss, or what have you.

I'm down for a challenge.

Nerdfighters!

[UPDATED] Hello internets. It's been a while. I've been busy, I'm sure you've been busy....

Moving on.

I've been watching  A LOT of YouTube stuff lately and it's got me thinking. What makes someone popular on YouTube? I recently began watching (from the beginning way back in 2007) a blog by two brothers who started it as an experiment and now it's an entire community/movement! How does that happen?

They are Hank & John Green (known on YouTube as the VlogBrothers).

They began with a simple experiment. No textual communication for an entire year. They could only interact through phone calls, in person (which was rare), or through YouTube videos. They also gave themselves the challenge of posting one video a day (each brother on every other day). Now they have grown into YouTube celebrities with side projects, music companies, and numerous fans which are lovingly called Nerdfighters. Yes...I am indeed a Nerdfighter. Watch the video and let me know if you have any questions :)

What can I say about these two?? Not much unless you watch some of their videos. Admittedly I am only on the 2009 videos (that Nerdfighter one kinda skipped ahead, but I'll let that slide for informational purposes). That means that I have 2 1/2 ish more years of videos before I'm all caught up.  So I haven't seen all their videos, but I'm working on it and with each new video, I find myself more inspired to try something new. I'm working out all the details and logistics, but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I know.

What I do know is that I want this upcoming year to be new, challenging,  and most of all...awesome. The Vlogbrothers have inspired me to do what I can to make it just that.

DFTBA.