A mixed bag of cool

Let’s try something different. Posting the newsletter. This was the TalkBiz News issue for November 16, 2015.

Lots of cool tools, new courses, and useful tips in this one. New income streams, security notes, video schtuff, lead generation, and more.

And it’s not 10 pages long, like the last one. 😉

After that issue, the few folks who replied almost all said it would be better to have stuff like that one in PDF format. So, that’s how I’ll finish it. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.

I wasn’t surprised at the small response. That’s what you get when you drop a question at the end of a 5500-word email on a subject that only appeals to maybe 20% of your readers. (Another good reason to do those in PDF.)

First tip: One lady mentioned that her browser rendered the text in very small print. If you run into that online, hold down the CTRL key and tap the + sign. That enlarges the display, making it easier to read on-screen. To go back to normal, tap CTRL and 0 (zero).

Great for blogs and the like that use tiny type faces.

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Alice Seba and Ron Douglas have another training system out. This one, called “Content Cash Flow,” is about turning your writing skills into a regular business by creating and selling PLR content.

Alice has over 20,000 customers for a site where she does this. So, there’s major clue behind the thing.

I’ve personally bought a ton of PLR graphics, templates, and software. There’s money in the PLR business if you can create good content.

This one is a definite “check it out” if you can write decently. It can be an extra income stream, or a whole business by itself. And the teacher really knows her stuff.

http://talkbiz.net/plrbiz

By the way… Don’t confuse that with my course with a similar name. Very different material.

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Some of you know I’m a big fan of open source software. (I’ve never liked proprietary file formats.)

Open Office and the GIMP are pretty well known. The audio geeks have all heard about Audacity. This week, though, I was pointed to something I hadn’t seen before. A free, open source video editor that rocks.

It’s called Shotcut.

You can download it at http://talkbiz.net/opensourcevideo

Ray Dale, the guy who pointed it out to me, has a course on it, along with some extra graphics and audio that you can use with the program. The course is free, and contains 6 videos to walk you though the process of creating and editing your own videos.

That’s at http://talkbiz.net/shotcuttraining

Ray also hosts a Facebook group (also free) to help people get things going with Shotcut.

Definitely rates “Cool Tool” status.

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One of the things that can cut into your responses from online content is the difficulty in getting people who like it to get in touch with you. Mostly because they don’t remember how once they’ve left the page.

Ray has a cool product to solve that problem. Called “Tube Caller,” it shows you how to put a ‘click to call’ button on your YouTube videos. When someone watches your video and wants to get in touch, all they have to do is tap a button on the screen and the phone dials you directly.

The applications for this are pretty broad. If you’d benefit from more phone leads, this one’s for you.

I’d probably use it a bit differently. I have a phone number that is used just for people to leave me messages, and it would be fun to post that link to videos or even blog posts. I can check the messages via the phone or online, and download them as audio files.

Cool way to collect testimonials or suggestions. Or funny stories.

Yes, it can be used on any page. Setting it up on YouTube isn’t a real obvious thing, which is why the course. Once you know how, it can be used on other types of pages. Like, for example, for restaurant reservations, consulting interviews, catalog sites, and more.

http://talkbiz.net/tubecaller

Classic “one problem, one solution” product. Nicely done.

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WordPress Notes: If you use the BulletProof Security or Fast Secure Forms plug-ins on your blog, update them. There have been security flaws discovered – and fixed – in them recently.

While you’re at it, you should probably update all those other plug-ins that have been waiting. But do a back-up first. Just in case.

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I got tired of all the bogus registrations and spam comments, so I went looking for something to stop them. Tried a few, and settled on “Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.” Made sure it didn’t conflict with anything on the blog, and signed up for the year’s membership.

Best $8 I’ll spend on WordPress this month, I think. Stopped them cold. Over 1000 attempts blocked in the first week.

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After I moved my sites recently, I discovered the link tracker I’d been using wouldn’t work with their system. So, I looked into a few. Been trying out Pretty Link Lite for the past few days, and it’s working nicely. As soon as I’m sure it won’t conflict with the security stuff on my blog, I’ll be upgrading to Pro.

It’s the simplest WP plug-in I’ve installed in a long time. Upload it, activate it, and go. Video tutorials linked right in the dashboard.

Pretty Link is how I get those short links with sensible names, rather than long, ugly links, or using a public redirect service that hands my tracking data to some third party. Or, in the case of bit.ly, to any random stranger who’s curious.

Seriously. If you want to see the stats on a bit.ly redirect, just put a plus sign at the end and visit the link. All is revealed, to anyone who wants to see it.

And people wonder why I keep this stuff in-house.

You can find these in the WordPress plug-in collection. Or just search for them through the Install New Plugin page in your WordPress dashboard.

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For you Android users… You may want to keep your phone “open” so you can make phone calls and get to your camera without needing to unlock the phone. Still, it’s likely you have some apps that you want to keep protected.

For this, you want an app locker. Be careful, though. The most popular, called simply “App Lock,” triggered all sorts of security alerts from my phone.

I found another one called “Smart App Lock.” This is handy. You set a code and then choose which apps you want to lock. You can use it “as is,” or set it up to look like the apps crashed when someone tries to access them. (Yes, there’s an easy way to get past that part, but you still need to unlock code.)

You can also set it to take a picture of anyone who tries to unlock it and gets the code wrong. Nice way to see who’s messing with your phone.

And, if you have your phone set to automatically upload photos to an online account, it’s a good way to get pictures if someone finds or steals your phone and tries to get into the things you want kept private. You know. Like banking or email or text messages. Or your social media accounts.

Whatever you want, it will lock.

That one’s free in the Google Play store.

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Lots here to help you protect your online assets and build more of them.

If you want more leads from your sites and videos, check out Ray’s TubeCaller course, at http://talkbiz.net/tubecaller

And, if you write well and want to add a serious extra income stream or start a business based on that, don’t forget to grab a copy of Alice and Ron’s latest, “Content Cash Flow.”

You can get that here: http://talkbiz.net/plrbiz

Good stuff, all the way around.

Enjoy!

Paul

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Find the newsletter handy? Stop by the Pub and buy me a beer. http://buy-paul-a-beer.com

Affiliate disclaimer: You should assume that the sender of this email has some sort of relationship with the sellers of products linked to from the email. This means they may receive compensation if you click on links and buy stuff, sign up for a list, or do other things once you get there.

Take any recommendations with whatever amount of salt you deem appropriate.

“Anyone who tells you you can succeed without work is probably trying to sell you something that won’t.”

So, that’s what a recent issue looked like. To subscribe and get them all as they come out, along with some cool welcome aboard gifts, go to http://talkbiz.com – and welcome aboard!