Ben Going (born June 15, 1985), username boh3m3 (pronounced bo-heem) on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, is a

video blog A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...

personality based in

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...

. He was fairly popular on YouTube in 2006 and into 2007, and an early YouTube partner. Most of Going's videos are shot in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

. He has claimed to be "the only person on the ''(YouTube) Most Subscribed List'' that swears excessively". Quite often in his videos, he wears a signature black hat. Subjects of Going's vlogs have included pop culture, the

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and ...

, and the state of the YouTube community, in addition to personal anecdotes.

YouTube

Going intended that his first submission to YouTube, posted in May 2006, serve as an audition tape for MTV's "Jackass"."Ben Going, creator of Boh3m3, another of YouTube’s most popular channels, started his YouTube series in part because he aspired to work with the Jackass team. Mr. Going, a waiter in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

, who shoots videos from his bedroom, now says he hopes 'video blogging might become some kind of career.'"Hoffman, Scot
"ExcChatting With Ben Going (Boh3m3 On YouTube)""The Critic" at moviepicturefilm.com
March 17, 2007 That failing, he went on to adopt a vlogger personality that has worked to give him over 44,000 subscribers and a top spot on YouTube's ''Most Subscribed'' list. Two of his videos, ''No Swearing!'' (posted June 6, 2006) and ''Why Do YouTube?'' (posted November 29, 2006, but has since been removed), were featured on YouTube's homepage and each has a view count over 900,000. Various news outlets have approached Going for his opinion on the state of the YouTube community or YouTube in general. Stemming from his video channel's exposure, YouTube paid Going to produce two videos for use in holiday-themed, corporate sponsored promotions in December 2006. The first to be released as part of the YouTube and Coca-Cola Holiday Wish Cast, sponsored by

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

. According to Ad week, this promotion marked the first time YouTube made an ad deal with its top users. The second was featured on YouTube's homepage for the YouTube New Year's Eve Countdown, which was put on in partnership with

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

and sponsored by Chevrolet. Stick am has credited Going for bringing 1,000 new users to its video networking website hours after he advertised his presence there on YouTube. In January 2007, he hosted a live, 24-hour Stickam broadcast to raise awareness for the

Darfur conflict The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups be ...

. In addition to several other popular YouTube users, Going worked with Barenaked Ladies to produce a music video for their single "Sound of Your Voice" in February 2007. The video has been featured on the Bare-naked Ladies' homepage. In May 2007, YouTube entered Going as one of the first users to take part in its partnership program. As a YouTube partner, Going can capitalise on "promotional opportunities" and advertiser-based revenue sharing. He was one of the first twenty to thirty YouTube users to have this status. Although ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' once quoted Going's saying that he hopes "video blogging might become some kind of career," since becoming a YouTube partner he has retracted that statement.

YouTubers for net neutrality

On August 17, 2006, Going poste
''Save the Internet!''
to

. Described by News day as "a one-minute, black-and-white, tech-age public service announcement", the video, which Going scripted, presents a short argument for

net neutrality Network neutrality, often referred to as net neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering users and online content providers consistent rates irrespective of co ...

that includes video appearances by YouTube users Tony Huynh, Barats and Bereta, and Brandon Hardesty, among others. Free Press blog
SavetheInternet.com
' subsequently featured it, leading the video to gain a view count in excess of 500,000. Of the video,

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...

quoted Ben Scott, one of the coordinators of ''SaveTheInternet.com'', to have said that Going's "''Save the Internet!''" "is doing the work of 30 full-time communications professionals".

Vegemite wars

In February 2007, Australian news program '' A Current Affair'' picked up Going's January 27, 2007
''The Australians are Fooling Us All!''
and used it to springboard a mock defence of

Vegemite Vegemite ( ) is a thick, dark brown Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1922. A spread for sandwiches, ...

. In his video, Going imagines the substance to be made of "yeast, salt and pain." To counter, ''A Current Affair'' enlisted media personality

Peter FitzSimons Peter John Allen FitzSimons (born 29 June 1961) is an Australian author, journalist, and radio and television presenter. He is a former national representative rugby union player and has been the chair of the Australian Republic Movement sin ...

, who suggests Vegemite comprises, rather, "the distilled essence of Australia". Although the segment focuses on Going, it also features Australian YouTubers who profess a fondness for Vegemite, including Natalie Tran and Caitlin Hill. A reporter for ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' responded by questioning ''A Current Affairs journalistic integrity.

Personal life

Going grew up in

Cocoa, Florida Cocoa is a city in Brevard County, Florida. The population was 19,041 at the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne– Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Etymology Several stories circulate amon ...

, and lived there until just before he started high school. He waited tables in

, at 1892 East throughout the earlier part of his YouTube career. In April 2007, Going moved to

, after accepting an offer to apprentice under a professional music video director.''The BIG Secret Revealed!''Boh3m3's channel
on

, as of May 30, 2007 The move was facilitated by fan contributions exceeding $1,000 made through

PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...

References

External links