Protect yourself from Unwanted Viewers

It is important to protect yourself
and your family and still produce good, quality videos
.  Photo by Bromium

This is third in a series of vlogging, which is something I have been meaning to update from the last time I wrote about this topic.  If you had not had a chance to view them, I have written about videos you should be doing to get the most views on your channel if you have on or plan on starting one for 2018.  Today, I want to talk about how to protect you and your family once the viewers start watching your video channel.  I talk about YouTube mainly, but this applies to any platform out there: Facebook Live (and a new feature, Facebook Watch), Instagram and IGTV, Twitter, and many others.

Going Viral

It is important to know when your video is a one-hit wonder or when it goes viral, which I will go into more in just a bit.  Truth be told, not every video you make is going to get to that point, where the moment someone mentions your name, you are elevated to that of a Justin Bieber, a Kardashian, or even a Logan Paul.

Going viral is the newest thing for getting views, but not everyone has what it takes to go there.  When you do, it is a good sensation when a viewer recognizes you, and according to most of the YouTubers I have mentioned in my last post, most viewers are sweet, and they only wanted to thank you for brightening up their day or giving them the information, they needed for a problem that needed to be solved.  Going viral is the video that people talk about at the office (did you see that video where…).  It can be politically charged, cute, or thought-provoking.  It starts with something in the video that is out of the ordinary.  I will get to more on that subject in a different post.  Know this: once you have that video that gets people talking, be prepared to go into protection mode.    

Why give this advice?

My channel has only 158 viewers, so I have not gotten to that point where a viewer recognizes me.  So, why am I giving you this advice?  Perhaps, I may be talking you into creating a channel of your own, or you may want to see what’s out there for you.  I am not in your head, but I could be.  Safety may be one of your concerns, and if that is the case, keep reading.  Call it a preventive measure.

Addressing the situation

One of the most common things between me and popular YouTubers out there is location.  We do not give out our real addresses. We give general locations of where we are, such as a city and state.  Nothing else.  It is for our own protection.  You may have noticed that even in my blog posts, and I mention my city, I say Central Ohio, that’s it.  No city.  It is the same with my videos.  Yes, I am in the phone book, and at one time, I had an unlisted number, until I became a business person.  Now, I have a phone number that rings into the same line as my home phone, and I use my cell phone as well.  I currently do, only because of a couple of things I need it for.  One day, I will switch to just my mobile phone.

The reason I protect myself is I do not want to wake up in the middle of the night and finding someone standing over me or come home to an empty house. 

If you do not mind viewers sending you mail, set up a PO box to receive that mail, especially if you are in the phone book.  The PO box also protects you from having threats sent to your mailbox.  Set your phone number to private if you have a landline phone or do not give out your number at all.

Traveling

I never post pictures, videos, and blog post while on vacation.  (Although I accidentally posted family pictures on my IG (Instagram) account the evening of July 4^th, I did not give the location of what city I was in). Again, for safety reasons, plus this is a good opportunity for being “Off the Grid” for a day or a week to enjoy yourself, and not let your social media accounts dictate how you want to spend your vacation or a shopping trip.  When you go shopping that is for you and only you, enjoy the moment.  Your viewers will understand.

Take the time after your trip to edit, refine, and post as though you are on the trip now.  In videos and posts before your trip, do. not mention when you are going, unless you want a person to visit the same place.  I do not mind, but I also post after the fact too.  Same goes if you do travel videos.

Family

This is tricky because there are some rules that you can set while at the same time, you can also protect your children as well.

Since I do not have children of my own, but I do have nieces and nephews.  One particular situation that comes to mind is the year after I started my YouTube channel.  I did not know what I want to create at the time, but I found my sister’s children doing something very fascinating.  My nephew was 2 and my niece was 1 at the time (they are now 11 and almost 10), and I was making a video of me interacting with them, especially my niece, who had gotten to the point of walking pretty good.  She toddled over to me, and said, “Ta Da”, which was her favorite word to say. (And the only thing I could understand her to say at the time.)

Anyway, after that, I uploaded it, errors and all.  My sister saw the video and was furious with me.  She was screaming to the point of telling me that she did not want their father, her ex-boyfriend, to see the video. I screamed back, “my camera, my channel, and I will post what I want.”  This was in 2009 when YouTube did not give a care in the world about what the guidelines for this sort of stuff, as long as you post it. (Translation: Before Google bought it).

I reluctantly took it down, and I thought that it was a missed opportunity for me to get views on it, but not so fast.  Did I get permission?  Just because they were my niece and nephew, that does not give me the right to make a video. They were family, but not my children.  You have to ask these two questions: 1. Do you want/or can your children be in the video/picture? If the answer is no, move on.  Do not ask why and do not beg them to give permission.   2. Can I post this on YouTube/Vimeo/Facebook Live/IGTV with you in it?  If the answer is again, no, edit the scene and take the person out.  Do not blur their face.

Last name protection

A couple of family video channels I watch do not give out their last name for their own safety, but it is easy to find them on Google.  I did a little experiment and looked up their YouTube channel name, and Google had the full information, including the last name.  I will not give the channel name and who I looked up since they do not want it revealed.

When I introduce myself on my channel, I only give my first name, but I do not give out anything else, such as my marital status, age, and as mentioned earlier, my location.  I really do not care if you find out my last name or not.  It is listed as part of me being a business owner, and it is needed for legal purposes.  I am very proud of my last name.

I am not going to tell you one way or another on giving out your last name.  If you want protection, that is for the PO box address. 

Speaking of that, if you do show packages you receive on camera, you may want your address to stay anonymous. Use a sharpie or some other black marker or tape to cover up the address.  It is a good idea to cover up the sender’s address as well.

So, these are the tips I and other YouTubers use in order to be safe when making videos. I hope you keep these tips in mind when you create your first video.  I have sprinkled little takeaway moments throughout the piece, so, there are none in this portion of the post.  Remember, be safe no matter what you do in life.  Do not let anyone stop your dreams or your joy.  You got this. God Bless You and your family.  

Facebook Status: Living your life…the Cruise Edition

My Facebook status on a Carnival Cruise line Facebook group (Not sponsored by Carnival):

Photo by P.Lynne Designs (C) 2018

“Except when I first came on this group in October, after changing ships, dates, and Itineraries (ports), I have never written a post in this group. I have commented, but that is it. I say this with a question: Why is everyone is so hyped up on Jamaica and Mexico being bad places.
Last month, I came back from a beautiful cruise on the Carnival Dream, going to the ports of Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico. I had no problems there. Me and my friend got off the ship at each port. We did no excursions that were sponsored by Carnival. We really did not have the money. We had fun anyway. We were cautious about where we went, asking the person we were traveling with (she has been to these ports several times, has done 25 cruises in all). She gave us this advice: Treat your traveling abroad like you would domestically (United States). If you are unfamiliar in a U.S. city, you would not go in places where there is a potential for crime, right? There are parts of Detroit or even in my own city of Columbus that I would not venture into. Not all areas of a city or country are bad.
Do not call attention to yourself is the term I am looking at. No huge amounts of money and do not look like a tourist. Watch who you are dealing with. Do not take rides that look questionable. Stay with crowds.
Before you go, I offer you all other pieces of advice: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!!!! Go to the library, search on the computer, ask questions from other travelers (not just cruisers). Find ways to be self-reliant, even if you are traveling with a group, your spouse, a family member/friend or solo. You are the only person you have (unless you are also traveling with kids (under 25, and yes, I do consider them kids))Most of all, if you believe in God or whoever you pray to, Prayer works. Ask for protection and for discernment The Discernment part is so you can put into practice what I and others have mentioned in this group and in other places in Social Media about being safe but still living life.We all want to have fun, that is the purpose of this vacation, this cruise. Do not get too drunk that you are so inebriated to make the best decisions for your safety and the safety of others around you. I was lucky to have traveled with a good group of people who made sure that I made all the right decisions. I have known them for years. Some were my parents' age or a little younger and some were my age or younger. They checked on me often, and I had a good friend to be in the stateroom with me.
I said this in response to seeing too many posts of first-timers scared out of their wits because they have read the comments on this group about the ports. You do not have to get off the ship if you do not want to, but I advise you to at least try one port. If you want to take the safe route, try an excursion sponsored by Carnival, which will guarantee you will get back on the ship because they have to wait on you.Sorry, this post is long, but I felt I needed to get this off my chest. one last piece of advice: You cannot live your whole life in a bubble. you got to get out there and live life to the fullest. I am going to let that quote sit right there.”

 

I am going to let this post sit there for a moment.   The reason I wrote the post in the first place is to serve a reminder to those in the group, who decided a month, 5 months, or even a year or two to travel on a cruise ship and experience a taste of what a country has to offer.  There had been some uproar on all the travel groups about Jamaica and Mexico about the increase in crime in these two places.  The short, smart, sarcastic answer that I could have given is “don’t go if you feel that way.”  The reason I did not give that answer is I was that scared first-timer cruiser too. Let me explain.

Up until last month, I have never traveled out of the country without my parents.  I have flown to San Francisco with my aunt in 1988, but that was not out of the country.  In fact, the only place I have been prior to my cruise was Canada, and both times, I had my parents.  I really do not count Canada as being out of the country because you can drive through Detroit, Michigan to get to Canada.

Funny Story:  There is a state park in Detroit called Belle Isle.  Well, last July 4^th, me, my parents, and aunt and uncle were riding around, and at one point in the drive, we drove inside the park. While we were there, we drove a little closer to the Canadian border to the point where my phone started pinging off the tower on the Canadian side, and there were international charges on the bill.  I found it quite comical.  2 seconds the phone was doing that.

Fast forward to September, and my original cruise was canceled due to Hurricane Irma, and I, and the group I was with decided not to take the alternate trip to Cozumel and Belize (only 4 days as opposed to the 7-days that we were supposed to go on the Carnival ship Conquest), opted for bigger ship called Carnival Dream (Not to be confused with the Disney Dream cruise ship), to sail in December 31, 2017-January 7, 2018, and go to 3 ports instead of 4 (Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel).  It did not matter because I was scared that I:

·         Was going to get left by the cruise ship-did not happen

·         Spend well over budget-again it did not happen

·         Go to the shady side of each port-Montego Bay was not shady, but it did open my eyes to what was happening in that part of the country-no different than, say, going to Compton, California Or Newark, New Jersey.

·         Being swindled on-again did not happen.

Once all my fears subsided, thanks to good friends and prayer, I was able to enjoy my cruise.  The only thing that I was not prepared for was the issue of my health, which up to that point I thought was pretty good.  I lost my breath a couple times in the airport at New Orleans.  My friends were concerned, so as an added precaution, I used a wheelchair to get on the ship and off when we returned.  I probably could have made it, but I was glad for the caution because it could have been worse: a trip to the ER in New Orleans prior to getting on the ship, and I would have been left behind.  I had no issues at any of the ports, and I used the wheelchair going home. Next month, I will speak to my doctor about this.  I want to make sure I do not have the same problem when I go to Disney later this year.

So, for this takeaway, I want for all first-timers of anything, I want you to put your fears aside and trust in the process of going on a vacation, on a ship or a land vacation, and having fun.  Please use common sense when vacation, and as I said in the Facebook status, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. I read some of the comments made on my post, and this is very to this person’s statement, “Current climate of America. The fear mongering has worked on a good portion of people here. The danger hasn’t gotten any worse or better.” 

My take on fear is “if planted in the right place, it can help make good decisions about anything in life.  It does not have to be “should I go on vacation on this ship to this port” or “If I take this deal, how much money will I save?”  Fear also goes into things like, “I’m Pregnant, now what?” or “I have $x in the account and I owe $x to this company, should I buy this item?” or worse, “I am in an abusive relationship and I just shot my abuser, now what?” If we take on fear for things such as, “I see a group of Black males coming my way, I should detour and go a different direction”, or “I am not getting off the ship because of the things I heard about this country.” 

My comment to you is do not use fear as a weapon in your life.  Use common sense and research an area (ship or land), an idea you have (a new business, making videos, or a new hobby), learning a new skill (video editing, tap dancing, or yoga) a new clothing line, a new food, or even a new church or temple.  See the world with new eyes and maybe you will enjoy that new world and be open to the possibilities that await you.

This is my takeaway for you.  Make it a good one.  

Lesson 2: How to be a Time share owner or not.

(c) 2016 Walt Disney Company DVC Logo

I know, I know, I have not been writing a lot lately. I have, however, been busy doing other business things. But it’s no excuse to not write in this blog. This post is not sponsored in any way.  These are only my experiences and the experience of others.  This post should not persuade you to think one way or another.

 Today’s lesson is all about cold calling. More specifically when you are trying to find customers in the vacation home market, otherwise known as timesharing. In case you’re not familiar with the term of time sharing, it specifically means a vacation home, you spend some time at, like a vacation spot, such as Disney, or the Florida Keys, or some villa off the coast in France.  You own a piece of the property. (correction: you own the right to stay at the property). This is how I saw it over 10 years ago when I bought into The Disney Vacation Club or DVC for the rest of the post.

Now, there is no surprise here that I like Disney. I have mentioned it on several occasions. In this situation, I became a DVC member in 2003. I have heard about DVC sometime before that but thought that I would never be able to afford to be a member of DVC, not to mention to be part of the thousands of people who would become timeshare owners.  It seemed so impossible to do such a thing but I was determined to see what this was all about.

 Before I go into what happened today, let me take you back to 2003 for a moment. Like most people, I wanted to find a way to go to Disney every year, without trying to save a whole bunch of money to stay at a resort. Like most vacation spots in Florida, Disney does offer a solution. I did my usual research and looked into it. I found out that it was indeed possible for me, my current single situation and my future family to go to Disney at least once a year, and still be able to do everything money-wise.    It is that simple, or is it? 

So, Randy, my sales rep, made it sound so simple, and next thing you know, I am using my credit card for a down payment.  It was that simple.  A few days later, my paperwork arrived. Oh, there was one little catch, they do check your credit and I passed with flying colors. Anyway, I got my paperwork, which seemed like a gazillion pages long, and you have to either sign or initial your name on the line.  Once done, you take your paperwork to a place to get it notarized. Even though the property was in Florida and I was in Ohio, it still needed that little thing to approve it.  Once notarized, place your stuff, I mean, paperwork in the envelope provided, and send it on its merry little way. If this sounds familiar, yes, it is like buying a home, and if you ever have gone through the process of buying a home, this is it- vacation style.  

I waited like a month before I received a package from DVC, and when I opened it, the first thing I saw was “Welcome Home”. I have arrived, and I was the newest member of DVC.  They sent me a backpack (still got it), a picture of my new “home” away from home, and my first points. Also in the package, it explained what the points allow you to do, which is to make a reservation to spend time at Disney and your lovely vacation home.  You pay dues once a month, annual fees once a year. I planned out my first trip to the mouse’s house as a new member.  As I was saying, I became a member in mid-2003, and our first vacation was Easter week 2004.  My family and I had a blast. We stayed five nights and the sixth night, stayed one night in the shoddiest hotel near the airport the day before we left to come home.  I think dad wanted to teach us all a lesson in don’t forget where you came from. Compare to the Boardwalk villa at Walt Disney World, it was bad. You had to carry your suitcase up a flight of stairs (Because there was no elevator), and the rooms were not much to look at. But enough about the last day in Florida, let me continue with the days before. On second thought, I will save that for another post.  I owned a piece of Disney until 2006, and sadly, I had to give it up.

Since that time, I have received every phone call known to mankind, of sales people who own these companies who buy back timeshares, and there are plenty of timeshares other than Disney.  Oh, you have heard the same spiel before. They call you by name, and they introduce themselves. Yesterday, I heard from Rachel, today, I heard from some guy who had a workshop in Reynoldsburg that will teach you how to sell your property.   My answer is always the same, “I sold my timeshare property in 2006.” Their response, “I’m sorry to have bothered you, we will update our records. Have a nice day”.  My question is “why are you operating on 10-year-old records in the first place?” I understand that business is slow, but if I still had the property, why would I want to sell when I love the thought of going to Disney once a year?  These people are a trip. 

Another name for the so-called sales people is called the resale market. They are looking for anyone and everyone who has the slightest problem with their timeshare property and try to buy back your property, to sell to someone else. This could also be a scammer who could be putting out feelers for a gullible person to be tricked into accidentally giving out their information.  In either case, do not be fooled by these people. After all, if you are a timeshare owner, the first reason why you bought into your particular property, even if it’s not by Disney, is so you can get away for at least a week, and have a place to go to on a yearly basis.

Now there are other ways to do it, such as buying a piece a vacation property, where you can go anytime you feel like it, but the problem with that is you own a second home.  With second homes, it sometimes looks like it is abandoned, and you do have to schedule upkeep for the property.  

You are probably wondering why would people want to buy a vacation home or even invest in a timeshare if it brings up so many problems.  It is like anything in life.  It is a matter of preference.  You like an area, but you want a place to escape to.  Mines happen to be Disney World.  Some people like the beach, while still others want either Europe, the Mediterranean, South Pacific, or the family farm. Again, it is a matter of preference.  Some people find this sort of thing ridiculous and meaningless. 

Do I miss it?  Of course, I do.  Some of the benefits of having the DVC are

·         10% off of Disney Merchandise

·         Ticket discounts, including Annual passes

·         Discounts on your dining

·         Events exclusively for DVC members

·         A discount (or exchange of points, can’t remember which one) for places such as

o   The Disney Cruise Line

o   Other timeshare companies who will exchange Disney Vacation Club points for their point system

o   And the Adventures by Disney program to name a few.

The whole concept of missing a program is to have the ability to sign up again.  This time, I have learned a few lessons about being a timeshare owner. I am preparing to own again with this program.  Disney has graciously erased the last one from my credit report, so it is like I never owned before.  That is between me and my new sales person.  I have already checked a year ago, but I was not quite in the position to go through the process. Could I go through one of these resale programs who annoyingly call my phone each morning to see if I want to sell my old one?  I could, but I will not get the benefits part of the ownership.  Disney stopped people who buy from a reseller rather than through them, from benefiting from their gracious offer to people who do buy DVC through Disney as of April 2016.  Now, I can buy from a reseller, then turn around and then buy an additional 25 or more points through Disney.  This is called an add-on, and I would get the benefits package that way. 

Keep in mind, I am not an expert in all things timesharing or DVC.  I am a person who is very interested in the program and in timesharing.  My aunt has a similar timesharing program with another company, and we benefited staying in one of the cabins at Pigeon Forge, TN, November 2015.  The cabin was very roomy, enough for 5 families to stay there.  In addition to renting the cabin, we also had an additional smaller cabin for one more family to stay in (they housed all the teens).  She frequently takes trips with her daughter and anyone else who wants to come along.  Getting back to my old DVC membership…. I was able to allow a complete stranger use my points in 2005.  A member does not have to be present in order for someone to use their points.   I did have to claim the family, which I did.  The woman and her family had a wonderful time while at Disney, and I was happy to do it.  She did pay me for the stay.  

So, this is lesson 2 for me.  It was not really a lesson in learning new things but it is a way of learning, period.  It is also a lesson in be careful who you talk to. 

My takeaway for you:  If you plan on becoming one of the thousands who enjoy taking a vacation via timeshare, I highly recommend it, but before you do, here is what you need to do:

1.      Plan.  Where do you want to vacation at?  Is it a different city or one place each year?  How much do you want to spend on a timeshare?  Keep in mind there are 3 fees:  The down payment (which is a one-time payment), an annual fee, and a monthly fee for loans (you can also pay cash to avoid a third fee and no credit check is needed).  What will you accept as a benefit?

2.      Research.  Researching several timeshares will help you know what you want in a timeshare.  I presented one timeshare, but there are several out there.  Do a search on “timeshare properties in X”.  Disney may be your destination, but there are other theme parks you may want to visit, for example, does the property you are looking at have some benefits theme park hopping as well.  If so, DVC may not be for you.  Make sure you have an out (see #3 for further details).

3.      Financial.  Make sure you are able to be financially fit to take on a timeshare.  As I said, you have 2-3 fees each year until you decide to sell it (or get out of the contract).  When I was no longer able to afford my old membership/timeshare, I contacted a resale timeshare company, not the other way around.  I had been on several DVC groups with the person, and I researched her before trusting the owner to help me sell my property.  Also, Disney had to approve the sale, which they did.  This made the transition much easier for me and the new owners, so make sure you have a financial out, should there be problems with your finances or you grow tired of going each year. All timeshares should have an “Out” clause in their contract.  Never sign anything, unless you have an “Out” clause.  Make sure there are no leans on you financially.  In other words, follow the rules of buying a home because that is the way it is treated by the company, the state where the property is physically located at, and the United States law.  (I cannot speak for the rest of the world).

On a final note:  be aware that there are people who would love to talk you out of your timeshare.  When they call (and they will) if you are not ready to sell, say, “No thank you, please take me off your list.”  Do not get mad and yell.  It is their job (or scam).  When you are ready, you look for them, not the other way around.  Research the resale company.  After all, you are in control.

Writing assignment:how I spend my summer vacation.

Today,I want to focus my post on you,my readers.  If you are a writer,you will enjoy this assignment.  You do not had to turn this in,but if you keep a journal,this is perfect for you to look back and reflt.  So my question for you is, "How did you spend your summer vacation?".

I will start...

One of the things I used to love about summer was getting out of school.  I loved school,but there was something about not getting up everyday for the next 2 1/2 months always sounded appealing to me.  So when I became an adult,I knew my vacations like this were over,that is until this year.  This the first time in a few years,my vacation was full.  Being a work at home person does have it's rewards. For my reward this year,I spend one week at a family reunion,and one week in Canada.  I did bring materials in case I had a prospect client for either my papercrafting business or my Longaberger business.  Hey you never know.  I went on a very wet boat called Maid of the Mist.  I relaxed in at a camp and woke up to gun shot ringing in the air.  Do not worry,it was only an army troop practicing shooting at a firing range,and the cabin was far away. I walked,played with Canadian money,met A Hershey's kiss mascot.  I met family members who I never seen before. Yes,my summer vacation was fun and exciting.  Next stop,a cruise and Disney for 2013.

Now that fall will arrive on Saturday,I had fun.  For two years,I wanted to leave my city,my state,and heck my country,because I was tired of looking at the same thing over and over again. It was not because I hated where I live.  Heck,this is Buckeye Country here in Ohio.  The only thing missing is something from Disney,but hey,I will live.  God has blessed me and family to move from McGuire AFB,New Jersey,to Columbus,Ohio in 1977, and I am grateful of that move,because 4 years in the place is all that this former 12 year old could stand,and I hated when we moved moved from Southern California when I was 8 years old.

Coming back from a vacation like mine, makes me appreciate where I live,and love it even more.  It also makes me appreciate why we gave the restrictions we have in the USA,such as random car searches at the border,or requiring a parent's permission to get a piercing while you are a minor. Our car was the subject of a random car search at the US/Canadian border ( the computer selected us,how special ),my 16 year old nephew researched online that he could get a piercing without his grandparent's permission.  It backed fired on him,though,because he ended up getting them re-pierced at the mall down the street where they live. Mom let him re-do it.  It was good summer,reconnected back with family,and having a good time.

So now it is your turn.  This my challenge to you.  Write about your summer vacation or your summer if you did not go anywhere.  Let me know you did it in the comments below.

Be blessed every day.