Chris Pirillo » Kat http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:25:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © chris@pirillo.com () chris@pirillo.com() Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. chris@pirillo.com No no http://chris.pirillo.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpgChris Pirillohttp://chris.pirillo.com 144 144 Internet Famoushttp://chris.pirillo.com/internet-famous/ http://chris.pirillo.com/internet-famous/#comments Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:11:11 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=13666 Internet Famous is a post from Chris Pirillo


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I am not Internet famous. However, that hasn’t stopped Ron from wanting to ask me a series of questions relating to Internet fame. He’s talked to several other celebrities, and asked the same questions of them. I can only hope my humble video response helps him in some way with his research!

  • What were some of the factors in your early years or education that prompted your involvement in social media? – I’d have to say the Speak ‘n’ Math. I used to love punching numbers into that thing, and trying to solve math problems. I sucked at Math – I’ll admit it. I was always bad at showing my work on paper. Instead, I would create formulas with a calculator to solve the problems for me.
  • No longer associated with TechTV, how have you been reaching out to your audience? – You have to understand that I already had an online audience of over 100,000 people before TechTV ever happened. In fact, that is WHY I was asked to be on TechTV. I’ve been online since 1992. TechTV came about for me in 2001. I’m still doing the same things I have always done. It’s just easier to do now with the advent of new tools such as Facebook and Twitter.
  • What services do you provide your sponsors or clientele? – I do get paid to consult with companies about how to have a bigger and better presence online. I also do various speaking engagements throughout the year. As far as the sponsors, we produce the videos each week, as well as the Gnomedex conference.
  • While you may not consider yourself Internet famous, how has it led to your success online? How has it furthered your career? – It’s led to my success because I’m doing it. You have to work at it, constantly. You have to stay in touch with the people in your community. I don’t know how this has led to Internet fame. I have a very dynamic personality, for sure. I get paid to be myself. I don’t think I could achieve any more happiness than that.
  • How have you branded yourself? – Well, I am myself. The old Lockergnome classic cartoon-y looking logo has been around for many years. The Chris Pirillo brand is technology – information, help, advice. I’m a conduit for many thousands of people who share information and ideas, which is pretty cool.
  • What advice can you give others who are looking to make an impact online? – If you want to do it, dedicate yourself. Don’t expect success to come overnight. If you’re happy with what you’re doing – then you’re successful. When it comes to the way others will measure success, it’s hard won, and takes a lot of time and work to come by. Do something different. Be yourself – be genuine – but stand out!
  • Who do you consider to be Internet famous, and why? How do you think Internet fame differs from other types of fame? – I don’t consider it to be any different, actually. I think it’s a cult of personality, and it’s easier to connect with celebrity (and easier to become one) via the Internet. The main difference I’d say is connections between a person and their community. We used to have a distance between celebrities and their followers. This isn’t so prevalent now, with the advent of social media outlets. As for who I would consider to be Internet famous… iJustine. She’s genuine and has a good heart. I think she’s going to be moving on to bigger and better things in the near future.
  • What are you involved in today that differs from your previous work? – I’m doing a lot more local outreach here in Seattle. I’m doing things like meetups and Tweetups – either co hosting or attending. I’m meeting people who are doing the same types of things as I am. I’m much more locally aware than I used to be in the past.
  • What’s the one thing about you that people don’t know yet? – Hah! I sleep with my Throwboy RSS pillow!
  • Point me to a couple of URLs on YouTube of videos that you feel best showcase who you are. – I’m going to throw this back to my community. I’d like you guys to leave a comment to this video, and point out the URLs that you feel best show who I am. I’m interested to see your responses!
  • Are there any future projects you would like to share? – Yes! I’d like to share them all!

I certainly hope these answers helped! The video will soon be encoded, uploaded and posted to my blog by my good friend, assistant and Community Manager Kat. (YAY KAT!) She keeps me on track, and I couldn’t do what I do without her! There are a lot of people who are vital to this company, and I sincerely appreciate them all.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> Internet Famous is a post from Chris Pirillo


Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I am not Internet famous. However, that hasn’t stopped Ron from wanting to ask me a series of questions relating to Internet fame. He’s talked to several other celebrities, and asked the same questions of them. I can only hope my humble video response helps him in some way with his research!

  • What were some of the factors in your early years or education that prompted your involvement in social media? – I’d have to say the Speak ‘n’ Math. I used to love punching numbers into that thing, and trying to solve math problems. I sucked at Math – I’ll admit it. I was always bad at showing my work on paper. Instead, I would create formulas with a calculator to solve the problems for me.
  • No longer associated with TechTV, how have you been reaching out to your audience? – You have to understand that I already had an online audience of over 100,000 people before TechTV ever happened. In fact, that is WHY I was asked to be on TechTV. I’ve been online since 1992. TechTV came about for me in 2001. I’m still doing the same things I have always done. It’s just easier to do now with the advent of new tools such as Facebook and Twitter.
  • What services do you provide your sponsors or clientele? – I do get paid to consult with companies about how to have a bigger and better presence online. I also do various speaking engagements throughout the year. As far as the sponsors, we produce the videos each week, as well as the Gnomedex conference.
  • While you may not consider yourself Internet famous, how has it led to your success online? How has it furthered your career? – It’s led to my success because I’m doing it. You have to work at it, constantly. You have to stay in touch with the people in your community. I don’t know how this has led to Internet fame. I have a very dynamic personality, for sure. I get paid to be myself. I don’t think I could achieve any more happiness than that.
  • How have you branded yourself? – Well, I am myself. The old Lockergnome classic cartoon-y looking logo has been around for many years. The Chris Pirillo brand is technology – information, help, advice. I’m a conduit for many thousands of people who share information and ideas, which is pretty cool.
  • What advice can you give others who are looking to make an impact online? – If you want to do it, dedicate yourself. Don’t expect success to come overnight. If you’re happy with what you’re doing – then you’re successful. When it comes to the way others will measure success, it’s hard won, and takes a lot of time and work to come by. Do something different. Be yourself – be genuine – but stand out!
  • Who do you consider to be Internet famous, and why? How do you think Internet fame differs from other types of fame? – I don’t consider it to be any different, actually. I think it’s a cult of personality, and it’s easier to connect with celebrity (and easier to become one) via the Internet. The main difference I’d say is connections between a person and their community. We used to have a distance between celebrities and their followers. This isn’t so prevalent now, with the advent of social media outlets. As for who I would consider to be Internet famous… iJustine. She’s genuine and has a good heart. I think she’s going to be moving on to bigger and better things in the near future.
  • What are you involved in today that differs from your previous work? – I’m doing a lot more local outreach here in Seattle. I’m doing things like meetups and Tweetups – either co hosting or attending. I’m meeting people who are doing the same types of things as I am. I’m much more locally aware than I used to be in the past.
  • What’s the one thing about you that people don’t know yet? – Hah! I sleep with my Throwboy RSS pillow!
  • Point me to a couple of URLs on YouTube of videos that you feel best showcase who you are. – I’m going to throw this back to my community. I’d like you guys to leave a comment to this video, and point out the URLs that you feel best show who I am. I’m interested to see your responses!
  • Are there any future projects you would like to share? – Yes! I’d like to share them all!

I certainly hope these answers helped! The video will soon be encoded, uploaded and posted to my blog by my good friend, assistant and Community Manager Kat. (YAY KAT!) She keeps me on track, and I couldn’t do what I do without her! There are a lot of people who are vital to this company, and I sincerely appreciate them all.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/internet-famous/feed/ 3 Malware – Hate to be Correcthttp://chris.pirillo.com/malware-hate-to-be-correct/ http://chris.pirillo.com/malware-hate-to-be-correct/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 05:45:23 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=13183 Malware – Hate to be Correct is a post from Chris Pirillo

There are times when internet predictions are simply too easy. Last Monday, on these pages, there was an indication that there would be an increase in malware because of the news of the swine flu problem. Regrettably, this has come true. There has been an increase in spam, phishing, malware and other nefarious online activity.

For this reason, the suppliers of SUPERAntiSpyware were asked if they would extend their promotion with us. They have extended the generous offer to our readers until May 8, 2009 to save ten dollars off the normal purchase price.

The other reason for extending this offer for our readers is that it gives an opportunity to address an issue that one of the commenters raised. There was a question about who in the security community recommended this product. Well, names can be listed and we will do so briefly:

  • Our very own Kat is a four-year Microsoft MVP in the area of Windows Security. Kat has been working on malware-removal forums for nearly seven years now, and is an Administrator at GeeksToGo. She highly recommends this program on a regular basis.
  • Catherine Forsythe and her software assessment group recommends this program. Catherine has been assessing security programs for over a decade now.
  • Mike Healan from the original SpywareInfo site and newsletter began recommending this product when it was first introduced.
  • Sean Roe, another Microsoft MVP and owner of 247Fixes calls SAS an excellent program.
  • All of the malware-removal websites that are “heavy hitters” in this field recommend this program to their users. The list of sites includes (but is far from limited to): GeeksToGo, BleepingComputer, SypwareInfoForum, and What the Tech.

We could go on and on, but there should be a point made here. No security program is absolutely faultless. Given the nature of the internet and the pace of infections, absolute guarantees just do not happen. However, that being said, pains are taken to recommend the very best available. There may be disputes about which program is the most effective and that is bound to happen. What is recommended has been vetted thoroughly by literally hundreds of Experts in this field on a regular basis. Each and every one of them still recommends this program to literally thousands of people every single day.

IF there was a dubious program recommended, the inbox would feel it within hours of the program being featured. This does not happen. One person raised an issue. Nevertheless, let there be no doubt whatsoever that computer security and keeping your data safe are taken seriously here. It would be wonderful if no security products were needed. That is not going to happen any time soon. Therefore, we present serious security software to our readers and do hope that, with the good prices, some time and focus will be paid to keeping the computer safe. It matters because it can impact upon you and then others online.

]]> Malware – Hate to be Correct is a post from Chris Pirillo

There are times when internet predictions are simply too easy. Last Monday, on these pages, there was an indication that there would be an increase in malware because of the news of the swine flu problem. Regrettably, this has come true. There has been an increase in spam, phishing, malware and other nefarious online activity.

For this reason, the suppliers of SUPERAntiSpyware were asked if they would extend their promotion with us. They have extended the generous offer to our readers until May 8, 2009 to save ten dollars off the normal purchase price.

The other reason for extending this offer for our readers is that it gives an opportunity to address an issue that one of the commenters raised. There was a question about who in the security community recommended this product. Well, names can be listed and we will do so briefly:

  • Our very own Kat is a four-year Microsoft MVP in the area of Windows Security. Kat has been working on malware-removal forums for nearly seven years now, and is an Administrator at GeeksToGo. She highly recommends this program on a regular basis.
  • Catherine Forsythe and her software assessment group recommends this program. Catherine has been assessing security programs for over a decade now.
  • Mike Healan from the original SpywareInfo site and newsletter began recommending this product when it was first introduced.
  • Sean Roe, another Microsoft MVP and owner of 247Fixes calls SAS an excellent program.
  • All of the malware-removal websites that are “heavy hitters” in this field recommend this program to their users. The list of sites includes (but is far from limited to): GeeksToGo, BleepingComputer, SypwareInfoForum, and What the Tech.

We could go on and on, but there should be a point made here. No security program is absolutely faultless. Given the nature of the internet and the pace of infections, absolute guarantees just do not happen. However, that being said, pains are taken to recommend the very best available. There may be disputes about which program is the most effective and that is bound to happen. What is recommended has been vetted thoroughly by literally hundreds of Experts in this field on a regular basis. Each and every one of them still recommends this program to literally thousands of people every single day.

IF there was a dubious program recommended, the inbox would feel it within hours of the program being featured. This does not happen. One person raised an issue. Nevertheless, let there be no doubt whatsoever that computer security and keeping your data safe are taken seriously here. It would be wonderful if no security products were needed. That is not going to happen any time soon. Therefore, we present serious security software to our readers and do hope that, with the good prices, some time and focus will be paid to keeping the computer safe. It matters because it can impact upon you and then others online.

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/malware-hate-to-be-correct/feed/ 1 What is Your Day Job?http://chris.pirillo.com/what-is-your-day-job/ http://chris.pirillo.com/what-is-your-day-job/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:24:29 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=9568 What is Your Day Job? is a post from Chris Pirillo


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People ask me all the time what exactly my ‘day job’ is. What is it that I DO all day every day? I’m about to answer that question once and for all. I am now going to show you what it is I do for a living. Yes, it’s true. I play music in my armpit. But that’s honestly not all I do. So what DO I do?

You can catch the video content that we produce each weeknight over on our YouTube. Of course, you can join us in the chat room, and watch us live as we record those videos!

I run the Lockergnome blogging network, where you can make money simply by writing about your passions or hobbies. We also have our new site just for Geeks, where you can make friends, upload videos and music, write a blog, and participate in forum threads!

When I’m not busy with those things, I also write a monthly column for CPU Magazine, and produce a small segment for CNN Live online each week. I travel occasionally to different Tech events, where I am often asked to be a presenter. I also produce content each month for ExpoTV, reviewing the latest hot tech products on the market.

All in all, there are many different things that I do on a daily basis as my “day job”. I only touched on the main things that you can easily see here. I also put on a large conference each year, called Gnomedex, take care of product reviews for our sponsors, and the like. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why I’m forever indebted to people like my uber awesome (did I mention awesome?!) assistant Kat, the best System Admin (and all around IT genius!) on the planet Ryan, Editor Bob, and all of the other people who help make everything I do possible. You guys rock, and I couldn’t do it without you.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> What is Your Day Job? is a post from Chris Pirillo


Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

People ask me all the time what exactly my ‘day job’ is. What is it that I DO all day every day? I’m about to answer that question once and for all. I am now going to show you what it is I do for a living. Yes, it’s true. I play music in my armpit. But that’s honestly not all I do. So what DO I do?

You can catch the video content that we produce each weeknight over on our YouTube. Of course, you can join us in the chat room, and watch us live as we record those videos!

I run the Lockergnome blogging network, where you can make money simply by writing about your passions or hobbies. We also have our new site just for Geeks, where you can make friends, upload videos and music, write a blog, and participate in forum threads!

When I’m not busy with those things, I also write a monthly column for CPU Magazine, and produce a small segment for CNN Live online each week. I travel occasionally to different Tech events, where I am often asked to be a presenter. I also produce content each month for ExpoTV, reviewing the latest hot tech products on the market.

All in all, there are many different things that I do on a daily basis as my “day job”. I only touched on the main things that you can easily see here. I also put on a large conference each year, called Gnomedex, take care of product reviews for our sponsors, and the like. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why I’m forever indebted to people like my uber awesome (did I mention awesome?!) assistant Kat, the best System Admin (and all around IT genius!) on the planet Ryan, Editor Bob, and all of the other people who help make everything I do possible. You guys rock, and I couldn’t do it without you.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/what-is-your-day-job/feed/ 2 Is Spam ever Going Away?http://chris.pirillo.com/is-spam-ever-going-away/ http://chris.pirillo.com/is-spam-ever-going-away/#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:21:46 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=9356 Is Spam ever Going Away? is a post from Chris Pirillo

One of the best posts on Lockergnome today dealt with the news that one of the major Spam outfits has finally been taken down. For those of you who are heavily involved in Malware removal like Kat is, this is very good news, indeed. Why not take a look around at what else has been happening in our neck of the woods today?

Lockergnome Posts

Geeks Posts

Geeks Blogs

]]> Is Spam ever Going Away? is a post from Chris Pirillo

One of the best posts on Lockergnome today dealt with the news that one of the major Spam outfits has finally been taken down. For those of you who are heavily involved in Malware removal like Kat is, this is very good news, indeed. Why not take a look around at what else has been happening in our neck of the woods today?

Lockergnome Posts

Geeks Posts

Geeks Blogs

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/is-spam-ever-going-away/feed/ 5 Are there any Free Web-Based Virus Scanners?http://chris.pirillo.com/are-there-any-free-web-based-virus-scanners/ http://chris.pirillo.com/are-there-any-free-web-based-virus-scanners/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:00:46 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=7266 Are there any Free Web-Based Virus Scanners? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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What is more stupid… running your face alongside a cheese grater, or running Limewire? I argue that it’s far healthier to run your face on the cheese grater. What can you do if you don’t run an anti-virus on your desktop? Or what if you download something but want to be 100% sure it’s not a malicious file before you install or run it? Is there any other way to protect yourself?

P2P programs are a breeding ground for malware of all types. That’s why I always recommend you stay away from programs like that, not counting the fact that much of what you would download is illegal. I’m just talking about the viruses, trojans, rootkits and spyware that can and will infest your machine.

Anyway, if you come across a file that you’re just not sure of, you may run it through your desktop client. We all know that desktop solutions can have false positives, or totally miss something it really shouldn’t. How can you be sure it’s safe then?

Well, there are a couple of excellent places online where you can test single files. The first of these is VirusTotal. Virustotal is a free service that will run a file through 32 separate anti-virus programs. Afterwards, it will give you a report. The report will contain the results from each AV, the date of the last update of each AV.

There are two blogs found on Lockergnome that you can always count on to keep you up-to-date with the latest information on what Security products are good, what’s in, what’s out and what to stay away from. One is written by Kat. Both of them are Microsoft MVPs. Ron’s MVP award area is in Windows Desktop Experience, and Kat’s award is in Consumer Security. Both are well known in their fields, and know what they’re talking about.

If your program reports something as bad that you aren’t sure is… why not take an extra moment to run the file through VirusTotal? What are your thoughts on P2P programs, and even computer security programs?

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> Are there any Free Web-Based Virus Scanners? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

What is more stupid… running your face alongside a cheese grater, or running Limewire? I argue that it’s far healthier to run your face on the cheese grater. What can you do if you don’t run an anti-virus on your desktop? Or what if you download something but want to be 100% sure it’s not a malicious file before you install or run it? Is there any other way to protect yourself?

P2P programs are a breeding ground for malware of all types. That’s why I always recommend you stay away from programs like that, not counting the fact that much of what you would download is illegal. I’m just talking about the viruses, trojans, rootkits and spyware that can and will infest your machine.

Anyway, if you come across a file that you’re just not sure of, you may run it through your desktop client. We all know that desktop solutions can have false positives, or totally miss something it really shouldn’t. How can you be sure it’s safe then?

Well, there are a couple of excellent places online where you can test single files. The first of these is VirusTotal. Virustotal is a free service that will run a file through 32 separate anti-virus programs. Afterwards, it will give you a report. The report will contain the results from each AV, the date of the last update of each AV.

There are two blogs found on Lockergnome that you can always count on to keep you up-to-date with the latest information on what Security products are good, what’s in, what’s out and what to stay away from. One is written by Kat. Both of them are Microsoft MVPs. Ron’s MVP award area is in Windows Desktop Experience, and Kat’s award is in Consumer Security. Both are well known in their fields, and know what they’re talking about.

If your program reports something as bad that you aren’t sure is… why not take an extra moment to run the file through VirusTotal? What are your thoughts on P2P programs, and even computer security programs?

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/are-there-any-free-web-based-virus-scanners/feed/ 18 Free Computer! (Giveaway video)http://chris.pirillo.com/free-computer/ http://chris.pirillo.com/free-computer/#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2007 03:57:07 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/12/28/free-computer/ Free Computer! (Giveaway video) is a post from Chris Pirillo

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As promised, I gave away another computer, when we reached 20,000 subscribers on our YouTube channel! Thank you to everyone who has subscribed, and to all of you who visit regularly. Don’t worry, we’ll be giving away more things in the coming weeks and months, including another computer.

The requirements were simple for this giveaway. Once we reached the 20,000 subscribers, you simply had to comply with four rules to be eligible to win:

  • Be subscribed to the YouTube Channel
  • Leave a good comment on my blog, showing you have read a post and contributed to discussion. Insipid, meaningless comments don’t count.
  • Be present in the chat room to win!
  • Must live in the US or Canada for this particular giveaway

So as usual, I began scrolling up and down the list of people present as quickly as I could. I cannot see the names list as I scroll. I always have someone on the Ventrilo server say the word “STOP”, to tell me when to stop scrolling. The people on Ventrilo cannot see the list of names either. Also, there is a second or two lag from the time they say “stop” until I HEAR them say it. Putting all these elements together, shows you that there is no “rigging” of the contests. It’s completely random.

The first name chosen this week was mats. Mats is from Norway, so is not eligible to win. The cost of shipping would be more than the computer is worth. Also, Mats would have to pay a LOT of money on import taxes, or whatever it’s called in his country. I felt so bad, so I asked him to email me, and I’m going to send him a little something else, instead.

The next name chosen was zigyzigyzat. He is subscribed to the YouTube channel, but he unfortunately did not leave a comment on the blog. Sadly, we had to pass on him and begin scrolling again.

Moving on and scrolling, the next person chosen was CashMcMogulson. He is in the US according to his IP address. However, he forgot to leave a comment on the blog. So… let’s go again!

Ianimate3D was chosen next, but was not present at the time of the drawing.

Now when I stopped again, I knew immediately that there could be a problem. My scroll stopped near the top of the list, and I immediately said that people would think it’s rigged. I asked everyone in chat and on Ventrilo what I should do. Unanimously, everyone said to show the name. When I showed the name… Kat yelled out “OH MY GOD”, because the scroll had stopped on her. Not only does Kat do some work for me on the videos I record, she also is in charge of moderating our chat room. This is why I knew some people may say it was rigged.

In order to keep things even moreon the up and up, I threw a poll up on the live feed, courtesy of Ustream.tv. Over 500 people were present, and I think pretty much everyone voted. In an overwhelming majority, around 60% of you said to give her the computer!! Kat is subscribed to the YouTube channel, has left more than one comment on the blog, and was obviously present. So Kat… congratulations!!

MESSAGE FROM KAT HERSELF

First, I would like to thank everyone who voted in favor of my getting to have the computer. It means a lot to me that you all support me, and are my friends. I am very fortunate to have such amazing friends. This computer is very badly needed, as mine is quite old and unstable. Now, it will be much easier for me to work, and chat!

I know there are some who are claiming that the contest was “rigged”. This is just plain silly. In all the time I have known Chris, I have come to know him as a man of honor and integrity. You all saw him, the same as I did, when he hesitated to even show the name he had stopped on. All of us in chat and on Ventrilo encouraged him to show the name. He even made it MORE fair by doing a poll. I completely understand why some would think that. However, I give you MY word of honor that everything was completely legitimate. I was so excited and freaked out when I saw my name on the screen that I was shaking, and had tears in my eyes. My old computer will be going to my daughters to use for school.

Again, thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart, and to Chris for the generosity he has in giving things away every week.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> Free Computer! (Giveaway video) is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

As promised, I gave away another computer, when we reached 20,000 subscribers on our YouTube channel! Thank you to everyone who has subscribed, and to all of you who visit regularly. Don’t worry, we’ll be giving away more things in the coming weeks and months, including another computer.

The requirements were simple for this giveaway. Once we reached the 20,000 subscribers, you simply had to comply with four rules to be eligible to win:

  • Be subscribed to the YouTube Channel
  • Leave a good comment on my blog, showing you have read a post and contributed to discussion. Insipid, meaningless comments don’t count.
  • Be present in the chat room to win!
  • Must live in the US or Canada for this particular giveaway

So as usual, I began scrolling up and down the list of people present as quickly as I could. I cannot see the names list as I scroll. I always have someone on the Ventrilo server say the word “STOP”, to tell me when to stop scrolling. The people on Ventrilo cannot see the list of names either. Also, there is a second or two lag from the time they say “stop” until I HEAR them say it. Putting all these elements together, shows you that there is no “rigging” of the contests. It’s completely random.

The first name chosen this week was mats. Mats is from Norway, so is not eligible to win. The cost of shipping would be more than the computer is worth. Also, Mats would have to pay a LOT of money on import taxes, or whatever it’s called in his country. I felt so bad, so I asked him to email me, and I’m going to send him a little something else, instead.

The next name chosen was zigyzigyzat. He is subscribed to the YouTube channel, but he unfortunately did not leave a comment on the blog. Sadly, we had to pass on him and begin scrolling again.

Moving on and scrolling, the next person chosen was CashMcMogulson. He is in the US according to his IP address. However, he forgot to leave a comment on the blog. So… let’s go again!

Ianimate3D was chosen next, but was not present at the time of the drawing.

Now when I stopped again, I knew immediately that there could be a problem. My scroll stopped near the top of the list, and I immediately said that people would think it’s rigged. I asked everyone in chat and on Ventrilo what I should do. Unanimously, everyone said to show the name. When I showed the name… Kat yelled out “OH MY GOD”, because the scroll had stopped on her. Not only does Kat do some work for me on the videos I record, she also is in charge of moderating our chat room. This is why I knew some people may say it was rigged.

In order to keep things even moreon the up and up, I threw a poll up on the live feed, courtesy of Ustream.tv. Over 500 people were present, and I think pretty much everyone voted. In an overwhelming majority, around 60% of you said to give her the computer!! Kat is subscribed to the YouTube channel, has left more than one comment on the blog, and was obviously present. So Kat… congratulations!!

MESSAGE FROM KAT HERSELF

First, I would like to thank everyone who voted in favor of my getting to have the computer. It means a lot to me that you all support me, and are my friends. I am very fortunate to have such amazing friends. This computer is very badly needed, as mine is quite old and unstable. Now, it will be much easier for me to work, and chat!

I know there are some who are claiming that the contest was “rigged”. This is just plain silly. In all the time I have known Chris, I have come to know him as a man of honor and integrity. You all saw him, the same as I did, when he hesitated to even show the name he had stopped on. All of us in chat and on Ventrilo encouraged him to show the name. He even made it MORE fair by doing a poll. I completely understand why some would think that. However, I give you MY word of honor that everything was completely legitimate. I was so excited and freaked out when I saw my name on the screen that I was shaking, and had tears in my eyes. My old computer will be going to my daughters to use for school.

Again, thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart, and to Chris for the generosity he has in giving things away every week.

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