They usually start alone, in their bedrooms. They turn the camera on, aim, edit and post. When they're lucky, their videos catch fire and transform them from students, salesmen and waiters into online franchises. Most never reach the fame (or infamy) of Chris Crocker, the 19-year-old who cried to the world to "Leave Britney alone!" But that isn't the point, they say - the point is to reach their audiences and speak their minds. USA TODAY spotlights three young video bloggers whose personal musings have YouTube followings:

•William Sledd, 24, Paducah, Ky.

YouTubename:  WilliamSledd

Occupation: Sells clothing part time

Number of subscribers: 79,000

Most-viewed video: As part of his "Ask a Gay Man" series, he and a friend give fashion tips such as "avoid skinny pants if you're not skinny"; 3.2 million views.

Claim to fame: Sledd is now doing his "Ask a Gay Man" Web series for Bravo's outzonetv.comand bravotv.com.

What he does: Talks about himself, fashion and occasionally conducts interviews from his bedroom. "My character is myself."

How he started: "It was like my secret diary. Like no one I knew that lived in Paducah knew."

Why he does it: He likes it. "With me, I don't have goals; I just sit back and do what I do."

Thoughts on fame: The whole process has been amazing. A lot of people ask me how I became so YouTube famous, and I just say I did what I do. It just works, I guess."

•Tony Huynh, 25, Toronto

YouTubename: The Wine Kone

Occupation: Freelance video producer

Number of subscribers: 68,500

Most-viewed video: "Hotness Prevails/Worst VideoEver" - rants shirtless about heat, bedhead and other assorted things; 2.9 million views.

Claim to fame:Has developed a loyal following and is often imitated.

What he does:Variety of styles from humorous ranting to video montages and music videos.

How he started:Was doing videos for fun and sending them out to friends. "Other people started watching my stuff, and it just snowballed from there."

Why he does it: I just like to try to entertain people through the videos and release my creativity.

Thoughts on fame: "All of a sudden, random people from around the world started watching. It was like, 'OK, that's really strange.' I've never met these people before."

•Ben Going, 22, Torrance, Calif.

YouTubename:  boh3m3 (pronounced "Boheme")

Occupation: Waiter

Number of subscribers: 38,400

Most-viewed video: "Why Do You YouTube?" He talks about why he does it and turns the question back on the viewers: "Why do you watch?" And he adds, "The simple answer for me is, I'm addicted"; 934,000 views.

Claim to fame:Is working on screenplays andother projects.

What he does: Rants and raves about everythingfrom his customers to politics. "It's pretty much me - an exaggerated version of me."

How he started: "I started to see other video bloggers were getting a lot of attention on the site. I just threw my hat into the ring, gave my thoughts and things went from there."

Why he does it: "For the most part, the videos are just whatever's on my mind to throw out there."

Thoughts on fame: Was at a food court when "I heard the weirdest sound. It was like this 15-year-old girl. She was like, 'Oh,my God, is that Boheme?' It really messed with my head because I never realized how weird it was to be exposed like that. It's almost like this cloak of anonymity is just yanked off your head."

•Matthew Lush, 19, Hollywood

YouTube name: GayGod

Occupation: Sales

Number of subscribers: 55,900

Most-viewed video: Lip-synching in his underwear to Vengaboys' Boom Boom Boom Boom; 535,000 views.

Claim to fame: Is regularly sent bibles and the Koran (in response to his YouTube name) and once received a $500 cellphone.

What he does: Dance videos, talking, teaching, preaching about his passions (gay rights and veganism).

How he started: "My friends and I were just fooling around. We were just lip-synching and bopping around. We thought it would be funny to post it on YouTube."

Why he does it: "I love it. From Day 1 I've always wanted to be like the gay guy who's like, 'wow, he's got some (guts).' "

Thoughts on fame: "You kind of learn how to deal with it."