MailChimp is a newletter service that allows it’s users to send emails to anyone who subscribes to them.  They have a service that allows anyone to get up to 2000 people on a mailing list and not have to pay a cent.

Unfortunately there is a drawback to this service.

With the launch of my podcasting network, Say It Productions, I was going to sign up for the service, but for anyone out there who is doing podcasting out of their home might not want to use this service.

The reason is because MailChimp has to follow The CAN-SPAM Act.  With all legitimate online mailings there are a few things that must be posted in the email.  One of these things is to list where your business is located.  If you’re doing a podcast out of your home, you have to give you home address.  (There is no way around this, because if any false information is provided your mailing list, and possibly account, can be pulled.)

So, how can you get around this?

Besides providing false information the only legitimate way would be to go to your local post office and rent a PO Box.  It might not be cost worthy to do this, but if you really want to send out regular mailings this would be the way you can do it.

But there is another way to do it.

Your website is the safest place to do this.  The reason I say it’s safe is because this is the place where you own your own stuff.  If you put stuff on Twitter, Facebook, or any other site that isn’t yours there is no guarantee that you will always have access to it.  By using Feedburner you can create an email subscription feed that will send an email of any new postings to the user.  This is the closest you can get to a mailing list without supplying your home address.

Feedburner allows you to post a small piece of HTML on your site so people can sign up and be emailed the new posting from the website.  For more information on this check out the FAQ.

So, if you want to send mailings to your users but now want to give out your home address these two options are the best way to go.

It’s been over 8 months since I’ve sat down behind the computer and done any sort of podcasting.

That time has both flown and dragged on, and every day since that last episode, I have been thinking about and wanting to get back into the podcasting game.

First and foremost, I want to say that I miss everyone out there. I enjoyed our time we’d spend together while recording the show live. It always put a smile on my face and was the one part of my week that I looked forward to. Secondly, I’m sorry that I didn’t get to tell everyone one of you that I was going away for a while.

So, with all of that out of the where, the question is where am I going with podcasting?

Since the last episode was put online, I have been sitting down and writing podcasting ideas down of shows that I would love to do. This list has been slowly growing, over all these months, with at list of about 20 show ideas thought of, but, as the old saying goes, “slow and steady wins the race.”

The Network

With people like Leo Laporte, Adam Carolla, and Kevin Smith out there, more and more I’ve wanted to create a network of shows. So, I’ve decided to create Say It Productions.

Say it Productions (http://www.sayitproductions.com) is the name of the network.

Coming up with a network name isn’t an easy task. There are some great names out there, but getting an easy-to-remember name is almost impossible.

The name has double meaning.

The first meaning is obvious. Podcasts are about talking and Say It Productions name says it all.

The second meaning has a little more behind it, and is how the name came to be. When trying to come up with names one of the ideas was to implement my name in the network name. It was a good idea, but I didn’t want to have it blatantly plastered there. So, I thought of trying to use the letter “C” somehow into the name. The first thing I tried was using Greek alphabet and having the name with the word “gamma” in it, but after a few moments it started to sound like the podcast network was going to be named about someone’s grandma. That idea was quickly canned. Since, I’m French I figured that I would do something with the French alphabet. The letter C in French is pronounced as “say”. So, I had a letter that actually makes a word, and Say It Productions quickly came out of that.

What’s the network going to be?

There are several different ways that people have had their networks designed: around a certain industry, or just a non-related set of shows that are out there just to make money.

The way I want this network to be is based around things that interest me. I know that this might sound selfish, but hear me out. If I’m going to be on the shows I want to be enthusiastic about what I’m talking about, and I want that to come through to the audience. Now I know that this means that everyone won’t be listening to every show, but how many people out there listen to every show that Adam Carolla or Kevin Smith have on their network?

To keep track of what’s going on with us you can follow us on our Twitter or Facebook pages.

Now, you can’t have a network without some shows on the network. So, here’s what I’ve planned.

The Shows

Average Joe Show

www.averagejoeshow.com
Fridays at 9pm Eastern (returns February 11th)

Of course, this podcast is not going anywhere. With 80 episodes behind us, this is the ONE show that I knew had to return.

The Average Joe Show is our weekly get together where four of us talk about news stories that interest us from the week. We don’t have to be knowledgeable about the topic at hand; we just need to have an opinion.

Of course, Ward Miller is coming back to be other regular host of the show. Without Ward, this show would be nothing. He’s been here since we first started the show and without him, it wouldn’t have the same feeling. I am so glad that he is anxious to get back into the swing of things.

Joining Ward and I will be 2 guests hosts that will have their own spin on things also. Every week we will have different people joining us so the show will never be the same.

If you want to join us on the show check out the schedule to find an open night and email us and we’ll get you on the show.

Talk Duo

www.talkduo.com
Wednesdays at 8pm Eastern (returns February 16th)

I’m so glad that Talk Duo is also returning. For a long time, I’ve been into the radio morning shows and have listened to many different ones over the years. I have wanted to do a morning show type podcast for a while and that’s what this is.

I’m happy to announce that Ericka Plourde will be the co-host of this show. She’s new to podcasting, but she has a lot to bring to the show.

Every week we will get together and talk about things that happened to us over the week. We will talk about our lives and complain about someone or something that bothers us. We will also talk about any news stories of the week that just can’t be ignored.

Autism Warriors

www.autismwarriors.com
Tuesdays at 8pm Eastern (begins February 15th)

A new podcast that I am excited to have on the network is Autism Warriors.

Ericka Plourde and a guest host will discuss stories in the news, questions concerning behaviors, family dynamics, methodologies, and most importantly, share difficulties and triumphs while living within an Autism family. At times, there will be guest speakers who either are on the spectrum or have something to share of interest to the Autism community.

Ericka has two children who are on the autism spectrum and came up with the idea for the show. She wants to share her experiences and knowledge about autism.

Sci Fi Watcher

www.scifiwatcher.com
Thursdays at 8pm Eastern (begins March 3rd)

Another new podcast that will be starting in early March is Sci Fi Watcher.

Bryan Lee is the co-host of this show. He had been podcasting for sometime now and enjoys watching anything related to Science Fiction.

Every week we will cover anything and everything about Sci Fi including the news of the week and any new movie trailers. We will also review a movie that we haven’t seen or been so long since we’ve seen it that it needs a re-watching. We will also watch a TV show that might have been missed by us and see if it’s worth staying with and watching more.

What do we ask of you?

This network will be nothing without you. Plain and simple.

If there is a show that you enjoy – please listen. If you can make it to the live showing that would be great, but if you can’t please download the episodes. Even if you make it to the live show still subscribe to the show. That will let us know how many people out there listen to us.

Secondly, we love feedback, both good and bad. Let us know that you’re out there and listening. If you have comments, questions, or concerns we want to hear them. We have a voicemail feedback line at 813-915-6390 and our email is feedback@sayitproductions.com. The shows aren’t designed for us just to talk to you. We want it be a conversation between you and us.

Next, please tell your friends. Let other people know about the shows you like. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways to let people know what’s good and what’s not. It’s also the easiest way. Shoot something up on Facebook, drop a tweet, or when talking to someone in person bring it up in conversation. We always love to have new friends to the shows.

Finally, you can help us out by donations. These shows are made with love and our own money. If you want to make these shows, better this is one of the ways to do it. If you click on the link, you’ll see that it’s not just us asking for a handout. You can help us out three ways. The first, monetary donations. Secondly, buy something from our Amazon wish list. This list will be updated when something is purchased so we won’t be getting many of the same things. Lastly, donate your used equipment. If you have, an old mixer or microphone or some other piece of audio equipment that you’re not using it will help us. No sense letting it gather dust in some closet let it get some good use out of it. Please take a moment and check out our donations page. Everything that is donated to the network will be used for the network.

I want to thank everyone out there who is helping on the shows and listening to the shows. I have a good feeling that 2011 is going to be a great year and that it’s only the beginning for us.

It’s about time that I let you know what I have planned for podcasting coming soon from me.  It’s been a while since I’ve done the podcasting thing and I’m more than ready to get back into it full force.  Hope that you can join me on Thursday January 20th at 9pm Eastern at http://www.coreycharette.com/live and hear about it. I will take any questions or comments (via Skype or the chat room) at that time if you have any. If you can’t make it there and still have questions just leave a comment here and I will answer it personally and talk about it Thursday night with anyone else who might have the same question.

Hope to see you there,
Corey

Every year most of us sit down and write (or mentally take note) on what our resolutions are for the forthcoming year, and most of us will break them within the first few days (or weeks) of the year starting.

I’m just as guilty of doing this as anyone else.  So, this year I’m going to take on my resolutions with a different look.

What I mean by that is that I’m not going to make major life-altering resolutions that are over-the-top and hard to keep in line.  My resolutions are going to be small steps for my personal being so that when 2011 ends I will be changed for the better.

Here is the short list of my resolutions:

1. Get back into podcasting

If any of you know me well enough with my online presence I am the creator and co-host of the Average Joe Show and for a couple of years, on and off, we did 80 episodes.  Then in May 2010, I decided to take a break from the show.  Weeks became months.  I disappeared from the web, for the most part.  Did very little posting on Facebook and Twitter.  My plan was to pop back online in January, but something happened that made me want to get back online earlier than that.  (If you want to know what it is, let me know and I will put a post up about it.)  For the last seven months I have been sitting here taking notes about what I want to do in terms of podcasting.

I’ve only showed my notes to one person, my girlfriend, Erika.  She was hooked.  She isn’t deep into listening/watching podcasts, but is so behind me into doing this project that I won’t back down.

I can promise you one thing: I will be back into podcasting in early 2011.  Average Joe Show will be back!

2. Be Healthier

Most people say, “I want to lose weight.”, and they starve themselves to death and by the third of January call it quits.  That’s not what I’m saying.  What I want to do is to take baby steps to being healthier.  This means that I will cut back on eating junk food, drinking soda, eating more balanced meals, etc.  Not going to do major changes to my diet overnight, just want to make gradual changes so my body doesn’t go into “shock” from it.  Hopefully, I will keep you posted on these changes here.

3. Be a Better Me

I know this sounds like one of those self-help gurus saying it, but I want to make myself a better person on the inside.

I’m not one of those “half glass full” type of people, but more like “how come I don’t have a glass” type of people.  Everything I look at is always in a negative light.  I need to stop doing that and looking at the positive side of things.  I need to be happier about everything and more confident in the decisions I make.

So, there are my resolutions for you to ponder on.  They might not be the most shocking or ground-breaking ones, but these are the ones that I’m going to try my damndest to follow.  So, what are your resolutions for the New Year?

And on that note, I want to wish everyone out there a wonderful New Year and wish the best for you and your families.

With 2010 upon us and the Average Joe Show going live online (at http://www.averagejoeshow.com/live Fridays 9pm Eastern) and a lot of new people joining us on the show I would like to get the word out for more people to join us, in some capacity, at the show.

I call this “2 the Fifth Power”.

I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the show in various ways, now I want everyone who enjoys it to spread the word.  Everyone who enjoys the podcast go out and tell five people about it.  (When I say “tell five people” I mean mention it personally to five of your friends, either in person, via email, whatever. )  Tell them everything about the show and why you like it.  Make sure to remind them about the website and when we stream online.  Then, go back about a week later and ask them if they listened to it yet.  If they did and they like it tell them about “2 the Fifth Power” and direct them to this website, http://www.coreycharette.com/2-the-fifth-power.  Explain to them that they should tell five of their friends about the podcast to help spread the word about it.

So, since you’ve read this post, right now I want you to pick 5 of your friends and tell them about the show.  (You can tell Internet “celebrities” also and posting on social websites, but please don’t count them in your group of 5.)

Well, between time off from the show and ‘comings-and-goings’ on the show things have been put on hold.

We hope to make 2010 a year of changes for the podcast.

The first change that you will notice on the show is comments and emails being read on the show.  We want to have more audience participation on the show and this is the first step into doing that.

The next thing we want to bring to the show is link suggestions.  If you listened to episode 60 of the show you will have noticed that it’s the first time that we had stories given to us to mention on the show.  There are a lot of great stories out there that we don’t get a chance to get to and with your help we can bring some of them to the show.  (If you have any stories that you want us to consider for the show send them in an email to talk@averagejoeshow.com.)

The last thing that we want to have happen to the show is to have it stream live on the web.  Hopefully, you will have caught our live show (December 23 @ 9pm Eastern).  Unfortunately, with the resources we have it might be a long time before we can do this again.  This show is done on a shoe string budget and if you would like us to be able to stream weekly please help out by donating to the show.    By streaming the show we can real time interaction from out fans.  We hope that we can have this implemented on a regular basis by the end of the year.

We want 2010 to be a new year for the podcast.  With your help we know that we can get it to where everyone wants it to be.

Windows 7, Adam Who?, BYO Bowl, Baseball, and these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

I did a special episode of Radio Corey covering Halloween.  Go and check it out.  Want to personally thank Ward Miller from Average Joe Show for giving me all the rain on Saturday.  Speaking of AJS, think it’s funny that EPSN has a radio show called that and had to get the .net domain name cause I own the .com!  Feels good knowing that I got to it before they did and didn’t even try.  At work I watched a lady freak out over a ladybug!  I saw a show a few days lady that was almost the same thing.  Funny how art imitates life!  My job is allowing us to wear jeans once a month if we pay to support a charity.  Great idea instead of doing it a few times a year on half days before holidays.  A lady in HR doesn’t like the idea, but glad she doesn’t have any say on this.  When I went to the cafeteria to eat lunch, the cashier was using a pickle to get her fingers sticky to pull the money out of the register.  Interesting idea.  While eating that day say someone brought their own bowl to eat soup that she bought at the cafeteria.  Too much effort to eat soup.  Have to clean your bowl out after.  Just eat it out of their container.  While watching Major League 2 this last weekend was glad that they use real sports teams in the movie.  Gives it more authenticity.  In the middle of reading “And Another Thing….” which is book 6 of 3 in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” trilogy.  Also, I got my class ring this last week.  My 20-year old ring I decided to put a computer on.  Now I’m doing podcasts.  My love for computers have lasted such a long time.  Speaking of school, friend’s kids were out of school on Thursday and Friday last week for autumn break.  I thought autumn break was Thanksgiving.  Sounds like an excuse to take more time off from work.  While taking my son to football practice as the local school one of the other kids had to pee.  So his mom took him by a tree by a main road.  Couldn’t she have gone somewhere else less obvious?  Have you seen those Droid Does commercials on TV?  I found out last week that George Lucas owns the word ‘droid’.  If you look at the commercial it says it in there.  Adam Carolla’s podcast was at Blog World last week and on one of the show’s he was talking to Leo Laporte.  (12:22 into the podcast)  Caught me off guard.  Didn’t expect to hear Leo on there.  Was nice when podcasters collide!  Apple has released new commercials attacking Windows 7.  They aren’t the best ones, but they were ready when Microsoft got around to releasing their software.  Speaking of Windows 7,  Funny or Die released a spoof video of their Windows 7 Torrent Party video.  This a a take off of the awful original video.  Some one has bleeped out that version to make it funnier.  Sticking with tech,  the Ford Taurus 2010 has a new feature called MyKey.  Great feature that allows parents to program the car key so the children can’t turn the stereo too loud or drive too fast.  Helps the parents feel a little bit safer when the kids are behind the wheel.  Speaking of driving, that’s what ticks me off too.  I can’t stand when people drive without he headlights and it’s too dark out to see them.  What fools!

Music from Outside’s “A Radio Transmission of Unkown Origin” and The New Radio’s “Back to the Basics” both available at Podsafe Audio.

Halloween is coming up. I discuss some of the tricks and tips that I use when going trick-or-treating

Halloween is a wonderful time of the year where kids (and adults alike) dress up and go out throughout the neighborhood getting treats.  Being a parent I care about the trick-or-treating habits that my kids learn. I’ve compiled what I do every year for my child.  Trick-or-treating isn’t just going out, hitting some houses and coming home. There is planning to ensure that your child is safe on this day.

Check for sexual predators online

This is the first thing you should do. (In fact, checking several times a year isn’t a bad idea either). You can start by going to Family Watchdog and checking your local law enforcement website. These place have great search engines where you can put your address in and see who lives near you. The websites give you everything you need to know about the person including their picture and address.

Plan the route you are going to take

Now that you know who lives in your neighborhood you can plan your route accordingly. Make sure that an adult or responsible older sibling goes along. Never let your child go out alone.

Make sure the costume is safe

When buying store bought costumes ensure that they are fire proof or retardant. Avoid putting makeup near the eyes as this can run when they sweat and make it hard to see. Eye holes should be large enough to see through allowing for peripheral vision. Nothing should be lower than the ankle, makes it easier to walk and a less chance of tripping.

Ensure you can been seen

Make sure that your child has reflective gear on. Some sneakers have this on them. Wearing the glow sticks or bracelets also helps out. And ALWAYS carry a flashlight and have it on!

Use a sturdy container

Avoid using plastic bags. They have a good chance of ripping if they are poked or too heavy. Pillow cases make great sturdy candy holders. Also bring an extra bag for the parent incase the kids container gets too full or heavy for them to carry.

Teach your child basic safety

Most kids will rolls their eyes at you, but there is nothing wrong with saying this to them again. Kids do get distracted with all the fun and frivolity of the holiday. Remind them never to get into the car of a stranger and to look both ways before crossing the street.

Explain the difference between tricks and vandalism

Kids think that it might be funny to throw eggs at people, but there are consequences that can happen. It’s not funny – it’s wrong.

Manners are still important

Reminding your child to say “thank you” after getting a treat from someone is a good idea too. This can easily be forgotten too.

Set a time your child should be home by

Halloween is an early event in most neighborhoods. Most kids are in their own houses by 9pm due to having to go to school the next day or not to disturb people who want to settle down before going to sleep.

Eat a light meal before treading out

Just like going to the grocery store – don’t go out hungry. The kids already want to eat the candy. Don’t give them another excuse on why they should eat it the moment they get it. A light meal will help them when they are out there. Eating heavy and big meals can make the experience less pleasant for everyone.

One parent should stay home while one goes out

This helps to protect the house from being vandalized and someone can be there to hand out candy to the kids who come to the door. If possible, take shifts, so each parent can enjoy time with their kids.

Be prepared for the weather

Make sure that you have jackets if it’s going to be cold or an umbrella if it’s going to rain. Don’t want to be caught out there without this stuff if something happens.

Stay near your child at all time

It’s dark out there at night even with everyone’s porch lights on. Stay close enough to them so you know where they are. Standing by the road as they head up to a porch that’s 50 feet away isn’t a smart thing.

Always check the candy first

The best thing to do it to take the candy home and spread it across a table. It’s much easier to look at the candy in a brightly light room instead of using a flashlight in the dark. Avoid anything that’s homemade or the wrapper is opens. Inspect wrappers for pin holes or for anything unusual. The best candy bars are the ones where the wrapper is air tight and you can feel the air inside.

Music from Outside’s “A Radio Transmission of Unkown Origin” and The New Radio’s “Back to the Basics” both available at Podsafe Audio.

Roadkill art, the Google mystery, Tara unclothed, why Family Guy?, and where in the world is American Samoa?

What’s up with the Mystery Google website? It seems to be hush-hush, but I’m putting my money that Google is planning something for Halloween.  Does anyone remember the Mousetrap boardgame from years ago?  Did anyone ever actually play the game or did they just set it up the trap and watch it do it’s thing?  Was watching FOX’s Animation Domination and they had a new episode of The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, and American Dad, but a rerun of Family Guy.  What was up with that?  Didn’t make sense to me, considering that Seth MacFarlane has three of the four shows on the air that night.  I think he fell asleep while working on Family Guy.  If you are a Simpson fan you know that Marge Simpson is going to appear in Playboy, but why in the world would anyone want to see Tara Reid naked in there?  If that makes you sick you can go to WebMD’s Sympton Checker website.  This is a great way to make yourself sick and to spend money on drugs that you don’t need.  Gotta love modern technology.  This week was the first time that I heard of the .jobs domain extension.  I don’t know if it’s going to catch on, but not everyone can buy it so I doubt that it will.  Time will tell.  While driving home from work one day saw a dead deer on the side spray painted.  I can’t figure out why they did it, but it was the first time that I saw that.  On the topic of work, there’s a guy I occasionally see that I say “Good Morning” to and he always replied “Hi”.  Little awkward to me, so I try to avoid him now in the hallways.  Another day while leaving work saw SNOW on the cars going the other way.  It didn’t stay on the ground, but it’s the first official snow for us.  Got a quarter this week with American Samoa on the back side of it.  First one of those I’ve seen.  Had to look up a map to find where in the world it’s located.  And finally, what ticked me off this week are the parents that think they’re the coach of a sport.  All they do is distract the kids and confuse them on who’s in charge.  If you want to coach then you should sign up.  And the guy who wears his jersey from the early 90′s – you don’t play there anymore.  Get over it!

Music from Outside’s “A Radio Transmission of Unkown Origin” and The New Radio’s “Back to the Basics” both available at Podsafe Audio.

Down, North, East, North, new Who, new Pooh, new glue and sitting in the big boy chair.

The BBC released the new Doctor Who logo design for the show when it returns in 2010.  The cast of “Seinfeld” returned to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” last week for a 4 story arc.  I was very excited for last week’s episode and can’t wait to watch this weeks.  Nice to have a reunion without actually doing a reunion.  I saw this link last week of a band that did a song using the walkthrough for the original Zork game from the 80′s as the lyrics.  It’s a really catchy tune and still geeky at the same time.  The first authorized sequel to Winnie the Pooh in book form will be out very soon.  I thought that Disney owned the Pooh character.  Obviously, the book isn’t in public domain since this book is authorized.  I made ice cream pie for my son last week and had extra mini M&Ms.  What purpose, besides cooking, do they serve?  I feel like a pig when I eat them.  Also was wondering what percentage of each color was in a bag of M&Ms.  I found this mailing list FAQ online that answered that exact question.  Speaking of my son, when we went to get him a costume last week there were two versions of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz available.  Why does that not surprise me?  Speaking of my son, he was happy to tell me today that he is big enough to not have to sit in a car seat.  I don’t know what I am going to do with the seat now.  Got an email last week from my cable company trying to convince people to watch commercials so they can get free samples.  I’m not going to change my watching habits, but I’ll try to get the freebies when they come across my screen.  Speaking of products and placement, was watching the classic sci-fi movie “Silent Running” and noticed the product placement in the movie.  It was amazing that the products shown in the movie still use those logos today.  Not bad for a film over 37 years old, and the film holds up really well for it’s age.  When I went to work last week they were pulling down the old wallpaper to put up new stuff.  I couldn’t figure out why.  The old stuff was in great condition.  The only difference is the new stuff is a lighter shade of gray and the small of glue is all over the hallways.  The fire drill we had on Tuesday was a nice distraction.  Was a little cold outside and the alarm was deafening for a good ten minutes, but was nice to get out and talk to people I usually don’t get to chat with at work.  The thing that ticks me off are the drivers on the highways that slow down way too much when they see a cop car on the side of the road.  It’s not like we’re on the Autobahn.  We weren’t going too fast and we slowed down way too much.  Doesn’t help me get to work any sooner by driving that slow.

Music from Outside’s “A Radio Transmission of Unkown Origin” and The New Radio’s “Back to the Basics” both available at Podsafe Audio.