Several months ago, I featured youtube vlogger Community Channel on the Stars of the Internet column. I criticized CC's shaky scripting and cited her lack of essential self-editing skills. In short, her otherwise passable bits went on way too long. I wrote that, "Maybe given some time, a good director and a bigger budget, CC might actually be a decent performer." Well, it's been seven months, CC has more subscribers than anyone else from her entire continent (thus a sizable income from all those views) and she's gotten downright fancy with her vlog posts. So, I'm going to take this opportunity to give Ms. Natalie Tran, aka Community Channel, a much-deserved update.

Because I've actually come to respect her, I'm going to refer to Tran by her human name from now on; not just because I think it's stupid to talk about a screen name like it's a respectable moniker, but because I think it's high time this vlogger got to have a non-youtube career and that requires a name we can write on a check.

Natalie Tran has learned how to negotiate the minefield of humiliation that is youtube. Her early videos were lacking in part because they were so frequent. Excellence, hell, competence takes time and effort. Making three vlogs a week in between real-world responsibilities will only result in weak, unpolished material. These days, Tran updates less frequently but with higher-quality videos.

All in all, this vlogger's conceit is still the same. She uses video editing and now green-screen to act out multiple roles in observational humor bits all on her lonesome. The difference is in the sharpness of the script and, most importantly, a willingness to actually address the outside world.

At its core, that's the problem with youtube and indeed most Internet content. It's all so inwardly-focused that it's not just a void into which people howl, it's a void that howls into itself. The best of the Internet, no matter what sub-medium in question, turns its attention to the fleshy world beyond the glowing box.

And yes, I'm aware that writing the above on a blog that does nothing but make fun of the Internet seems a touch hypocritical. Got a problem? Vlog about it.

When I first wrote about Tran's vlog, I honestly wanted to see it succeed, unlike the vast majority of what I review for this site. Though the Internet is nothing if not a lukewarm bath of disappointment and revulsion, I'm relieved to see that at least the occasional potential for something worthwhile can still blossom in the airless abyss that is this medium. So, I've decided to give Natalie Tran's Community Channel vlog a second look and applaud her dedication to quality Internet entertainment. Here's the AK Smile Seal of Approval to make it official.

  For her worthwhile contribution to the Internet in the form of a vlog that doesn't suck, Net Insanity grants Ms. Natalie Tran the AK Smile Seal of Approval.

Alright, now will somebody please give this girl a TV show?