Yesterday marked the launch of Internet maven and G4 host, Morgan Webb’s new video blog, aptly named WebbAlert. Webb intends the show to be a short 5 minute breakdown of the Internet’s top stories of the day, parceled in bite size chunks that are both informative and geek-worthy. The format was popularized a few years back by Amanda Congdon on one of the web’s original video blogs, Rocketboom. Congdon recently left Rocketboom in a minor broo-ha-ha with her producer. After a short stint of dancing across the country, she settled into a new video blogging job with ABC. The difference between these two ladies of the net however, is quite striking. Webb has talent, street cred and a genuine interest in geek culture. Congdon on the other hand has smugness, a penchant for seeming annoyed while reporting, and of course, her boobs.

Ask anyone who watched Rocketboom in the early days and they’ll tell you the only reason why the show became successful, and Congdon gained mild Internet popularity, was because of her seemingly endless wardrobe of tight t-shirts, blouses and sweaters that she paraded in front of the camera on almost every single episode. Now, I’m all for using one’s God given talents, but thanks in part to these blatant attempts at sex appeal, IMHO Congdon jumped her shark years ago. I thought that when she moved to ABC she might actually pay her audience some respect and let us watch the news instead of her chest, but it didn’t happen.

Of course I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t mention that Webb has done her share of, shall we say, “self promotion”. She’s starred in spreads for Maxim magazine and has spawned thousands of geek-based crushes all across the Internet with nothing more than a wink and a few PSP cheat codes. The difference between Webb and Congdon however, is that when Webb is doing her job of video blogging, or hosting G4’s X-Play, she’s actually reporting without pandering. She knows her shit and could take down a hard core gamer any day of the week. Congdon can barely string two sentences together without batting her eyes at the camera like some lost puppy pleading for attention. Webb also knows that smart and informative ultimately wins the day. Her video blog is short on cleavage and long on personality, immediacy and wit.

Webb may stroll into the red light district late at night, but she’s figured out that it’s her day job that pays the bills and gives her credibility. Very rarely do the two worlds meet. So while Morgan Webb walks a fine line to win the hearts and minds of geeks everywhere, Amanda Congdon gets ready to board her rocket powered sled and make the weekly jump over Buxom Canyon. I just wonder when she’ll stop crashing and burning.