What are YOU doing to deal with gas prices?  How is it affecting your bottom line?

The California Association of Licensed Investigators is holding it’s Annual Conference next week.  You need to be there.

Also, check out Blubrry.com for other great shows.

Thanks to GoToMeeting for their sponsor ship.

A listener emailed me with an interesting question. What mistakes did you make when you first started? Well, I made a few, and hopefully we can all learn from them. How about you? What mistakes did you make? Email me at scott(at)curbsideinvestigator.com and tell me.

Also, check out Blubrry.com for other great shows.

This week I talk about Witness Statements and some of the issues that I’ve been dealing with in regards to reluctant witnesses. There’s also wacky talk about Pretext. Trust me, it was tough dancing around pretext issues so next time, I’ll just come right out and say it in plain English.

I wrap up with Positive ID issue with some current events with my caseload. They are pretty good examples of why positive ID and a good game plan are so important.

I can’t over emphasize enough how important it is to positively identify the subject of your subrosa investigation.  I recently had a case that reminded me of this and I thought it would be informative to share it.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.  I’d love to hear them.

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

There’s a little bit of this and that in this weeks episode. Google search tips are briefly discussed, along with some new software recommendations for that infamous date and time stamp issue. Take a look at captureflux and dvdate at http://paul.glagla.free.fr/index_en.htm for information. Thanks to listener Dave Graziadei for sending in a pdf file on muting the audio of your camcorder. Cell phone distractions, surveillance and more, all discussed on this weeks episode. Thanks for listening!

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

look for an article soon with a listener benefit

Save and convert Video from sites such as Myspace and Youtube using these methods.

I’ll be speaking at the CALI Annual Conference on two topics; Starting a PI Business and Making Technology Work

Business Emergency Management Planning from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Fema Manual 426-Reference Manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings

Bombs-Protecting People and Property

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

Here’s an old (by internet standards) promo I did for my company, Sunset West Investigations. As you know, most of what we do involves insurance defense work and this was orignially intended as a DVD to clients. Through the magic of the internet, it’s now here. Enjoy.

A listener contacted me with a serious question about an upcoming surveillance.  It was the type of question that shows are made of and after I discussed it personally with the person, I decided to make a show out of it.  Ironically, a similar yet opposite question came up on the PINow listserv (which I no longer support or endorse) and it caused me to blow a gasket.  So listen up and if you are the person I go off on, well you had it coming.

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

A listener asked about making the transition from employee investigator to small business owner/private investigator. This is a great question and there’s some pitfalls that are worth knowing so you can avoid them. If this sounds like your situation, this podcast is for you.

Don’t forget to take a look at the CALI conference near Palm Springs at the end of January.  If you can make it, it’s going to be good.  www.cali-pi.org for more info.

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

Here’s a reprint of a recent Journal article I wrote. I’ve decided to start putting those articles in the feed and the good news is that in the future, you’ll get them before they are actually published. The file is in PDF format, so load up your reader and enjoy. And of course, let me know what you think.

You can pull the image from the feed or click on the image below

I’ve got a real quick one here for you today. On the federal level, take a look at Safe Travel for a new law regarding airlines and batteries.

If you are in California, keep in mind that the cell phone law goes into effect July 08. Make sure you get your BT earpiece!

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

Did I mention marketing? Last week, it was brought to my attention that I was a little light on the marketing, so I bulked up on it this week. See, I AM responsive!

To be honest, I do start out with a little surveillance question and I need you to help me out on this one. Please call the hotline at (206) 350-7400 and tell me what you think about it.

Now, marketing can be done a variety of ways but you always have to know who your clients are and what their needs are. Couple that with knowing yourself and your business and you’ll do just fine.

Oh yeah, and join your state association. Mine is CALI and I’m a proud member.

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

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It’s all about marketing when Scott has the opportunity to present his company to new clients. Watch, listen and maybe learn what works and what doesn’t.  There’s some talk about surveillance, rain and apartment  complexes.

Also, some talk on a great device, the VMC-K100 microphone adapter.

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

Scott takes a long trip down to San Diego on a case that doesn’t have a lot of meat to it. Find out what happens when you gamble in the PI business and why you need to do it sometimes.

This is the vidcast that was supposed to start it all. It might seem a little redundant at this point, but I figured that since I’d already made it, I might as well post it. Let me know what you think and let me know if video works for you or if you’d prefer I stick with audio.

Vidcast #2 features a rainy day and a waste of time. I wasn’t too thrilled. Maybe you’ll enjoy my misery. Let me know what you think. This is a work in progress.

Scott gives a sermon on the evils (and blessings) of pretexting and how we as Private Investigators really need to know what we are doing. We also need to know what other PI’s are doing so we can save ourselves from them if need be.

The new Curbside Investigator Vidcast is mentioned as well. Check it out if you haven’t seen it already. There’s a flash player here or you can get it from the feed.

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

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That’s right! I’ve stepped into the world of video casting. Let me know what you think. I goofed and posted #3 before #1 and 2 so have a laugh on me and enjoy. Let me know what you think.

There was a glut of questions this week about using camcorders with video editing software.  Lots of theories and opinion as well as fantastic information was shared by members of the CALI listserv.  If you aren’t a member, you are really missing out.  Scott responds to some of the questions and offers some expert advice and opinion about what type of software and hardware you should be using.

Visit our sponsor GoToMeeting. Try GoToMeeting for 45 days! Visit www.GoToMeeting.com/podcast to start your free trial today.

And of course …

Also, check out Blubrry.com for this and other fine podcasts served up fresh.

And finally, don’t forget to call the listener hotline at(206) 350-7400