Vlog #1 -- Travvy

(written in first person as it's happening as you watch it.)

Travis awkwardly sits on a stool staring into the camera in front of him. He grins and says, "Youtube! Hi!" Adjusting himself on the seat, he stops staring and clears his throat. "Well, um, it's my first video blog. Yep, I'm joining in with all the other cool kids out there on the interweb and posting myself over video format. Besides, I'm too lazy to type. Talking into a camera, editing the video, waiting 60 hours for Youtube to process it, and receive tons of hate comments is much easier.

"Where should I start? Well, I'm Travis. I've got lots of nicknames that I'd rather not get into, so if you're uncomfortable for some reason with using real names, you can call me Trav. Don't call me "fag", "asshole", or "moron", less you want me to come to your house with a rusty spoon and stab you with it repeatedly. Do they let me threaten people on this? Shit.

"Yeah. Well. I really expected this so go a bit more smoothly by now, so I'm going to stop filming and decide what to say!" The video flickers and he returns back on screen wearing a hat and staring into the camera again. "Okay, got my notes. Time to blog. Rant my heart out. Starting now. Yep.

"Know what sucks? People who post video blogs on Youtube and get upset that nobody likes them. Christ, people, you're BORING. Stop blogging about yourself and get a clue. I mean, I'm no better, I'm the least interesting person you'll ever meet, but at least I'll have the dignity to just delete my account and pretend nothing happened when the hate mail starts pouring in.

"I really don't get the whole blogging thing, it's kind of lame. Kind of like Britney shaving her head--but her personal life doesn't interfere with mine, so I'll leave it at that. I don't know why I'm doing this. So, I beg of you all to answer me: what else should I do with my time? Why do people feel it's a good idea to play exhibitionist on a site like this? Why, why, why?"

Cassidy got comfortable in her computer chair, and then rested her fingers on the keyboard. In her address bar she typed the url to you tube. Rarely does she visit the site, but when she’s bored she can’t help but venture on to it. She didn’t have to sign on - the site already automatically saved her information.

The latest video was that of a teenage boy who lived in New York, complaining. Ugh, she had enough of complaining for the past twenty four hours.

She was actually going to reply. But, surprisingly the comment wasn’t going to be of hate.

ACCOUNT USERNAME: sproxy
COMMENTS: lol, speaking of Britney Spears, did you happen to catch the “Leave Britney Alone!” video? Genius. Anyway, it all has to do with popularity.

She cought one last look at her username before clicking the x button on her browser. Oh god, when was the last time I was on here? Cassidy frowned.

ACCOUNT USERNAME: spiffehxhats
COMMENT: ahaha! i looove britney spears and everything she does. you can't say no to a bald party girl! woo.

Helena had been searching her files for more information on Travis Jenkins, her first assignment. He was a 21 year old guy from New York, and as far as she could tell, he was very normal. Well, as normal as one can be with the ability to absorb light and somehow become invisible.

Hunting through his files for something, anything, that could help her find him, she stumbled across a page with links to Internet sites pertaining to him. Some were yearbook-like sites that listed him, but right at the top of the list was a link to his YouTube page. It was the first site she went to, and in her opinion, the most interesting. Watching a video blog recorded most recently, Helena had an urge to do something amazingly normal for once.

ACCOUNT USERNAME: anonymousfaithxo
COMMENT: what else should you do with your time? run! don't put yourself out there on the internet, you'll be found.

The comment wouldn't help her at all- it was her job to find him, after all- and reading the one other comment, hers could come across as very very odd. She erased what she wrote, replacing it with something more normal, but less useful.

She sighed, and left the site, feeling very unproductive.