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WordPress 2.6.3 Released – WordPress 2.6.3 was released on October 23^rd to address a vulnerability that was discovered in the Snoopy library. Snoppy is used by WordPress to parse feeds show in the WordPress dashboard. The team considers this a low risk vulnerability but they decided to quickly release a patch to take care of it. Now, if you don’t want to perform a full upgrade, they did provide links to the two files which were patched. You can download those and overwrite the ones in your directory and you’ll be safe. – http://wordpress.org/development/2008/10/wordpress-263/

WordPRess Ranked 33 – Comscore recently released their monthly analysis of the top web properties for September. WordPress came in at number 33 in the list of top 50 web properties for the month. The numbers were comprised of total U.S. (home, work, and university locations). According to Comscore, WordPress saw 23,125,000 visits during the month of September. Although Comscore says WordPress, I am inclined to think that they are discussing WordPress.com and not .org. – http://weblogtoolscollection.com/archives/2008/10/22/wordpress-ranked-33/

Akismet Has Stats –A new version of Akismet was released back on October 20^th which provides some bug fixes as well as a cool new feature in the form of stats. Akismet stats track your comment metrics, including missed spam, false positives and Yummy Pie, which displays your ham vs. spam count in a nifty pie chart. What is ham you might ask? To put it simply, legitimate comments. Be sure to download the latest version to check out your spam stats. – http://blog.akismet.com/2008/10/20/akismet-221-now-with-stats/

Plugin Of The Week – Backlinks – Backlinks is a plugin which basically copies the google backlink functionality. Because a substantial amount of people still use Blospot which stubbornly refuses to implement trackbacks, you do not see the full number of pages linking to you. At the moment it is at a very basic version but the author plans to add more features in future versions. You use it by simply adding its tag to your templates – http://dbzer0.com/the-penguin-migration/backlinks

Popularity: 18% [?]

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Ok, you got a webcam for your PC and now are looking for a way to utilize it. You have a podcast and like to watch YouTube videos and you see Chris Pirillo and Leo LaPorte use their cameras to lifecast and do their shows and you start thinking that this would be a neat thing to do too!

But wait! How do you go about doing this video thing anyway? Well, before you jump in with both feet, prepare to sink before you swim! Producing a video show is a lot harder than it looks, believe me, I know!

Tonight, we will discuss how to get started producing videos for your podcast. Don’t mistake this as going straight video, because, you aren’t ready for that, just yet! Like with anything new, you must learn to crawl, then learn to walk, before you can learn to run with it.

Let’s look at crawling:
Start by making sure your webcam or digital recorder or whatever type of camera you are using, is properly hooked up to your PC. Next, go to SuperWebCam or ManyCam and pickup a copy of this free software for adding effects to your camera streaming. There is a commercial version of this type of software called VidBlaster that you may want to look at later, once you are up and running.

Now, install and setup the software you chose to download. Go to the Source area of the software and see if your camera is detected. If it is working properly, you should see images streaming from your camera (most likely you, if it is pointing to you, of course). This will help you to determine if your camera is setup and operational. Once this step is completed, you are ready to move on to the next step.

Ok, the next step is to actually produce a video. I’m not gonna cover how to produce a YouTube video in this lesson, however, I will go over how to “go live” to produce a live, interactive podcast with your camera.

In order to “go live”, you will need to go to a live, video streaming service, like uStream, Justin.tv or Stickam, just to name a few, and setup a free account. Once you have your account, you are ready to “go live”!

Now, in order to do this video thing right, take some extra time and get your clothes, hair, face, etc. in order, because unlike traditional podcasting, people will actually see what you look like and like always, appearances count!

Depending on the streaming service you chose, you will have a broadcast or go live button that will open up a broadcast window in your browser. This window will allow you to record, broadcast and even set your audio and video quality settings. You will have an option to choose your camera and audio source, such as a microphone, and then, you are ready to broadcast your show to the World!

I said earlier that producing a video stream is harder than it looks. Here’s why. Think about your podcast or live show you are currently producing. You can usually take a few minutes before the show starts to prep, get your notes together and then call in and go for it. With video, you must give yourself enough time to make sure your equipment is functional, that your streaming service is working, your PC has been rebooted before you do this so that you have enough CPU resources, and then you have your show notes ready and your audio is working and THEN you are ready to start your show. Video, as anyone that does this, takes longer to prep for than an audio show does. This is just the nature of the beast.

So, there you have it, in a nutshell. Going video by itself is easy enough to do, however, if you want to do audio and video podcasts at the same time, make sure you have enough CPU resources (a fast enough and powerful enough PC) and enough bandwidth to handle both. Otherwise, you may find your video stalling, freezing or simply not working at all and your audio may suffer too with breaking up or dropping out. Doing both isn’t for the faint of heart. You have to really be prepared to do this and make sure your equipment is up to the task too. If you have an older, slower PC with little RAM memory, then you most likely won’t be able to make video function with the audio podcasts at the same time, but maybe by itself without the extra overhead of the audio podcasting.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Audio podcasts are a standard for many podcasters today. Many want to take their podcasts to the next level. Tonight, we will discuss how to do just that. http://www.nmpnetwork.com

In tonight’s episode, I gave an update with information regarding what is going on with the Budde Podcasting Network Site.

To get the latest with this, stay tuned to my podcaster training segment. Also – You can get the script for tonight’s episode here and Rob will post the show later tonight.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Believe it or not, a majority of the credit reports offered on the internet don’t have the required information (File Number, Confirmation number, or Report number) needed to repair your own credit. So what happens? You try your best to launch a dispute (with the wrong credit report), you find it impossible, you spend more money on new reports, you get frustrated, and you finally give up. Once you have given up, you have saved the credit bureaus a lot of money—and they even made some off you in the process!

Below are four tips that will make the process of ordering your credit reports less intimidating. These tips will also guarantee that you get the right reports needed to repair your credit yourself.

First Tip: DO NOT order your credit reports online. There are over 100 different types of credit reports available on the Internet and very few can be used to repair your credit. When you order your credit reports by phone you are GUARANTEED to have the following; File Number (Trans Union), Confirmation # (Equifax), or Report # (Experian). Once you have those numbers you can begin to repair your credit.

Second Tip: When ordering your credit reports by phone, always choose the option that says you have been declined credit or employment in the last 60 days. When you choose that option you might get your credit reports for free. If not, you might have to pay a small fee.

Third Tip: When ordering your credit reports by phone, choose to order your report without a score. Your score is not important at this time since we both know it needs improving and reports without a score often cost less and are sometimes free.

Fourth Tip: In some cases the credit bureaus will have the wrong address information on file for you, especially if you have moved recently. If this is the case, they might initially deny you access to your report and request that you call and speak to a representative. Don’t get discouraged as they hope you do; stay the course and make the extra call if you have to–it’s worth it.

The whole report-ordering process will take less than 6 minutes and it’s completely automated, so you won’t have to speak to anyone. Make sure you write down the confirmation numbers after each call for your records. Below are the phone numbers for each credit bureau:

Trans Union automated phone system Call 800-888-4213.

Experian automated phone system Call 888-397-3742.

Equifax automated phone system Call 800-685-1111.

Once you have received your credit reports from each credit bureau (Trans Union, Equifax, and Experian), you are armed and ready to begin repairing your credit.

Popularity: 1% [?]