Oakley's YouTube success inspired other older people, particularly men with life experiences to share, to begin posting vlogs on it. Jonathan King credits him for starting his YouTube videos in 2006. Oakley influenced World War II veteran Martin H. Slobodkin (1920–2006), who, under the name MHarris1920, started to post his own blogs. Martin died in October 2006, and received an outpouring of tributes from other YouTube users after his wife, Teresa, posted a video announcing his death. His widow temporarily took over his blogs, but later closed this account. Another older person is Bernhard von Schwerin, who appears under the name bernie1927. He too was a World War II veteran, but on the German side. He was encouraged by Oakley, and has talked about his youth and his many travels, and his emigration to the U.S. in 1951.
On 17 August 2006, Oakley uploaded "Telling it all 7", in which he made a statement about how much attention he had received from the media over the previous days. He mentioned that this was not what he sought or wanted. He also stated that any web sites using his username (geriatric1927) were in no way affiliated with him. In "Telling it all 7", he stated that he had received many messages from advertising companies, telephone companies, and newspaper companies that wanted to interview him, but he preferred to speak only to his fellow YouTubers, whom he considered his friends.
