Identity Theft Radio: Debut Show for 2009

Welcome to our debut show for 2009! Identity Theft Radio has returned after a several month hiatus. Our new show format will be only for 10 minutes. This will allow us to send the video version of this show to YouTube for syndication immediately following the end of the show each week. We will simulcast on video at http://www.newmediapro.tv and the recordings will be available there as well.

Tonight, we will cover the different types of Identity Theft and a breaking news story that just came about today! Let’s get started…

There are 6 different types of identity theft:
1. Credit/Financial
2. Medical
3. Driver’s License
4. Social Security Number
5. Character
6. Synthetic

We will go into more details over the next few weeks as we delve further into each type of identity theft.

First though, a breaking news story that hit the social media world today. Twitter, the popular microblogging platform, had a phishing scam hit many of it’s users today in the form of a direct message. If you aren’t familiar with Twitter, it allows you to send friends and followers an “instant message” in under 140 characters.

Chris Pirillo, best known from uStream.TV, reported this phishing scam via Twitter to alert his followers that this was happening. Many of his followers resent this message out to their followers, thus spreading the message very quickly to avert potential identity theft from happening.

Many received a direct message from one of their twitter followers:

hey! check out this funny blog about you… jannawalitax . blogspot . com

DO NOT VISIT the URL in question. It will redirect you immediately to a suspicious domain: twitter . access-logins . com - notice the subdomain?

This is NOT the Twitter login page, even though it looks like the real Twitter page, however the domain name gives way to believe it is a phishing site. Suggestion: do NOT log in to your Twitter account through any site other than Twitter.com. That may go without saying, but consider how many third-party Twitter services you use? Seems it’s about time for some kind of verification / validation for applications using the Twitter API - so you can be sure you’re passing your credentials to the right people. Many people have setup phony Twitter services sites promising all kinds of stats and status and will ask you for your username and password for your Twitter account.

This phishing domain appears to be registered in China:

Organization : zhang xiaohu
Name : zhang xiaohu
Address : changningzhonghuainanlu192hao
City : changning
Province/State : Hunan
Country : CN
Postal Code : 421500

Please, tell your Twitter followers to NOT VISIT or LOGIN THROUGH that site! Watch out for these direct messages. If you did happen to visit one of the offending URLs, you should be safe so long as you didn’t try to log into your Twitter account there.

Phishing is where someone is attempting to gain your information by using a phony site that looks like a real site, for example, your bank’s main site. Always look at the domain address that will show up in your address bar and make sure it is the actual site that you are visiting. Never take ANY e-mail at face value and when in doubt, DON’T click on ANY links without checking out the source of the message first!

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Happy New Year 2009!

It’s a new year again and there is a lot in store for The NMP Network for the coming year. Already, we have began the new year by updating the theme on our site to a newer version. From the outside, it still looks the same, but under the hood, there are quite a few new changes, all for the better!

Identity Theft Radio will begin again. After being in hiatus for several months now, The NMP network will begin producing new shows, videos and screencasts for Identity Theft Radio. The new shows will be a weekly feature and will go for about 10 minutes. The idea here is to simulcast the shows on video and then send the videos to YouTube for distribution. Also, a lot of what we will be talking about can be dealt with within the 10 minute limit. This will also insure that the audio podcasts will be short enough for people to download and enjoy without having to listen to 45 minutes to an hour of content dealing with more than one subject.

Identity Theft Radio will begin their new shows starting Saturday January 3rd, 2009 at 9:00pm EST.

Speaking of updated sites, NewMediaPro.tv has had a complete makeover recently! We have decided to stay with uStream.tv as our video streaming service for now as they seem to be the most stable out of all of the services currently available. I will be adding a section for the Segment Hosts soon so that they can be streaming on their own channels and still be viewed at NewMediaPro.tv.

Video will play a bigger part on the Podcaster Training Show this new year. However, with a twist! I will not be simulcasting the video and audio, instead, after the audio show is produced, I will take the recording and then re-broadcast it to video, via a live stream, and will show a slideshow, instead of a live camera shot during the broadcast. I’ve been checking out how the radio stations are doing it, and this is the accepted method for an audio style broadcast to video.

The biggest change for the new year so far has been the changing of how I am advertising on my sites. I did not sign up for the BluBrry campaign for GoToMyPC again as I have ran that campaign for more than a year now and they were dropping the payout to the lowest that I have ever seen it. Instead, I am focusing on products that I currently own and so far, I have seen a better return on those ads than I ever did from any affiliate advertising I have ran. If you want to know more about offering your own products on your sites or podcasts, contact me and I will get you the details!

I have been going through some of my domains and have began weeding out some of the unused or little used ones. Also, I have added a couple of new ones that will become active sometime this month, so I’ll keep you posted on that progress as it happens.

With that, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and I am looking forward to a great year this year and hope you are too!

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Podcaster Training: The Phases of Podcasting - Phase 6: Going To The Next Level

Access Your PC from Anywhere with GoToMyPC. Try it FREE for 30 days! www.GoToMyPC.com/techpodcasts


First, let me start by saying that I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday! I had a chance to spend some time with most all of my grandkids and had a blast watching them open their gifts. I especially had fun watching my wife learn how to use the new digital camera I got her. I don’t want to say she is technically challenged…I’ll just leave it at that!

And with that said, over the past few weeks, we have been cruising through the Phases of Podcasting. We’ve learned about the history, the basics, going live, prepping for the show, the after show, and getting sponsors and monetizing your podcasts. Tonight, we dive into the final phase of this series of training, Phase 6: Going To The Next Level. Many of you are already asking yourselves, so what is the next level anyway? The next level for many podcasters is video.

There are a number of formats for video in today’s New Media World, including live streaming, video sharing and screencasting, just to name a few. Going video for some, means live streaming. Taking your podcast, possibly one that you are already producing live audio for, and adding a new dimension to it…live video. Now, I have been producing a live video stream for Podcaster Training for almost a year now. I have missed a week here or there, mainly due to technical glitches on the live streaming service, however, for the most part, I’ve been there.

Before we go any further, let’s look at live streaming services. There are a few live streaming services available, such as uStream, Stickam and Justin.TV, again, just to name a few. Tonight, we will look at uStream.TV and go over some of the basics for producing a live streaming video.

Obviously, before you can produce a video, a very important piece of equipment you need is a camera. A webcam, digital video camera or sometimes even a digital camera can be used for this purpose. Some home video cameras have the capability to be hooked up to your PC nowadays and they can be used for this purpose as well. If you already have a camera, check it’s capabilities first to insure that it can be used.

Now, once the camera is in place, you can visit http://www.ustream.tv and signup for a free account. Once you have logged into your account, you will want to setup your profile and show page and this will prepare you for going live soon. I won’t take the time tonight to go through these steps with you. They are fairly self explanatory and if you have questions, just let me know.

Once your show page is setup, you can go live at any time by clicking on the Broadcast Now button, found at the top of the page. This will open a second window, commonly called a Broadcast Window, and the first prompt you should get is to allow or deny access to your camera and sound source. Oh, you will want a microphone hooked up to your PC at this point or else no audio will be heard by your viewers. Click allow and you will be presented with a preview image showing you what your camera is seeing. No preview image? You may need to select your camera from the drop down options for your video. Same goes for sound, if you have multiple sources to choose from.

Next, you have two buttons on the right hand side of the Broadcast Window, Broadcast and Record. Click Broadcast to begin sending your images to uStream for others to see and when you are ready, click Record to save your live video. Once completed, you can click on Stop Record and you will be prompted to save your movie file.

Ok, that’s all there is to live streaming. Let’s move on to video sharing. The most popular video sharing site right now is YouTube. Most everyone has heard of YouTube, but many will not have an idea of how to post a video. This will be an entire different lesson altogether as it requires some specific software and a little know how to insure your video is posted properly.

The last type of video for tonight is called Screencasting. This is a method used for creating tutorials and making them into a video for others to learn by. Again, this will be an entire lesson on it’s own. TechSmith makes a piece of software called Camtasia which allows you to record your screen movements, add transitions, credits, etc. and then create your screencast into the most widely used format technology called Flash. uStream, Stickam, YouTube and most video sharing and streaming sites will use this technology as Flash is a smaller, more compact way of streaming video across the Internet.

I know I’ve skimmed over a lot of this training, however, with video streaming, a lot is just either by doing or by having someone step you through it. Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time on this show, unless I devote an entire lesson on just that. Not saying that can’t happen!

Now, when you plan to stream live video, you want to make sure that your viewers will be able to find you easily. Let’s go back to uStream for a minute. With uStream, like most services, gives you an embed code that allows you to show your live video on your web site or blog, while you are streaming live! There is even an embed code for the chatroom and you can setup a separate page for your live streaming. For example, I have setup a separate domain name, newmediapro.tv, along with a separate site so that I can include my advertising, chatroom, and embed codes for Twitter, Stickam and uStream, all on one page. This way, no matter which service I’m on, I can direct viewers to the one site. Makes life easier for everyone that way.

Alternately, for your blog, you could setup a page marked LIVE and put your embed codes there. Same result and you have a way that your viewers can easily view and read your blog too!

I went the extra mile for the .TV domain name. They are a little salty for some, at $19.99 a year, but I felt it was worth it for the branding. Keep in mind that if you are on Blogger or Wordpress.com, you may not be able to embed the video and chatroom codes. Since I run the self hosted Wordpress, I can do this with my blog. So this is where I’m coming from, in case you’re wondering why I might be telling you to try something that you may not be able to do.

The same applies for video sharing sites like YouTube. You can upload a video or screencast and then get the embed code and show it on your blog or web site. This way, when you’ve got a tutorial video or screencast that you want everyone to see, it’s easy to show it off quickly!

Ok, one last item to cover on this topic tonight. If you want to add a little flare to your live presentation, there are some software packages available for PC users called SuperWebCam and ManyCam, that will allow you to put graphics on the screen, scroll messages, show your desktop and more. Mac users have some options as well, such as CamTwist, that does the same as the PC software packages.

Adding flare to your video will help you to present a more professional production. Even if you have a live video show about nothing in particular, this flare will help you to liven up your videos and maybe attract some more viewers.

This concludes our series of The Phases of Podcasting. Next week, we will be talking about adding audio to your web site or blog. There is one exciting note here. Thanks to a suggestion by Jeff Chandler, our resident Wordpress Segment Host, I will be putting together a series about combining the three main mediums, Blogging, Podcasting and Video. Bridging the gap to bring your listeners to your blog, your readers to your podcasts and live videos and vice versa. It should be a really great series to produce. I’ll tell you more as the time draws near. I can tell you this much, it won’t be until next year now!!

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When Video Just Doesn’t Work Out Right

Several months ago, I started simulcasting my Friday Night Shows on video services, such as uStream and Stickam. Over time, there have been a number of issues with these services and recently, I started simulcasting again after being off video for a time. What I have found, at least for my purposes, is that none of these video streaming services can handle 1 to 2 hour long sessions, reasonably.

Last week, I recorded my show using Stickam. The recording went well, or at least, seemed to, and it even let me save my recording. All was good until I went to look at the saved recording and oops! it was gone! Not even an archived copy, nothing, as though I had not even attempted a recording at all! At least with uStream, I had something I could look at, however, it was usually in segments and not a complete show.

Anyway, I have decided to drop the video all together for now and concentrate on the audio podcasting for the show. Making the audio better, more music beds, etc. and not worry about doing video, with the exception of the occasional YouTube video or screencast.

I will talk more about this on my next episode of Podcaster Training so that I can better explain exactly what is going on here, so that I don’t discourage someone from doing video. That is not my goal here. My goal here is to keep you informed as to what is happening on my show and I will continue to keep up with the video streaming services and when they are more up to par with what I am doing, then try it again!

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Podcaster Training: Using Video as a Platform for Podcasting

Access Your PC from Anywhere with GoToMyPC. Try it FREE for 30 days! www.GoToMyPC.com/techpodcasts


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.

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