We gonna party like, it's my birthday, sippin' on Baccardi like it's my birthday....

Well, I don't drink rum any more - I'm a bourbon guy. So I will be sippin' on bourbon, because it IS my birthday on May 26th!

And for MY birthday, I want YOU to buy one of these really cool gifts for yourself - because I have bought all of them for myself... cuz I'm worth it!

Ready? Let's go... And please note - these are in no particular order...

8 Life-Changing Gift Ideas For You - For My Birthday...

( Listen to the show at http://SubscribeMe.fm )

How To Get Audio & Video Feedback and Testimonials from your Audience

If you want your web site visitors or your members to leave you audio or video feedback, whether it is to give you a testimonial, or ask a question, or offer a review, or just about any kind of feedback, then for a very long time, there have been only a few good options.

Option #1) A very popular service that a lot of podcasters use, is called Speakpipe. I've heard the audio feedback left by listeners of a few podcasts I listen to, so I know the service itself works great, otherwise so many people wouldn't be using it. But I've personally never left feedback for anyone using this service, even though I wanted to at times even to just connect with the podcaster and thank them for the value I just got from their show, but I couldn't do it because the big issue with speakpipe, especially if you're on a mobile device, is that when you visit a podcaster's web site, and you click on the speakpipe image to leave audio feedback, then you're first asked to download their mobile app first. And without downloading and installing their app, you cannot leave audio feedback for the site owner.

Now, I don't know about you, but in this day and age of awesome UI and UX - ux stands for user experience, and UI stands for user interface - asking someone to download an app just so that you can do one little thing on a web site, that too an app that I may never need again, something I have no use for, doesn't add any value to my life, and all this so that I can do something that is actually more useful to the site owner? That's just plain archaic thinking - and just outright annoying. That would be like you coming to my web site, and you want to contact me, and when you click on the contact-us link, you are asked to download a piece of software first befor you can use the contact us form, and you were trying to ask me a pre-sales question about my product or service. Would you bother downloading a special app for that? You probably wouldn't. And even if you were a glutton for punishment, I can't imagine too many people doing that for MY benefit as the site owner. So I wouldn't use speakpipe unless they fixed this issue.

Plus, as far as I know, speakpipe just offers audio feedback.

What if someone also wanted to leave you video feedback? Or, maybe you want both audio and video, so you could take the video part of their feedback and use it in your content marketing, like in your youtube channel? And you can use the audio, on your podcast?

I guess you could use an app like SnapChat, and tell your users to snap you. Now, full disclosure: I have never used SnapChat even though I did sign up for an account after listening to Gary Vee hyperventilate over it over and over again. But I've never really actually used it, but I've heard that you can send someone a private video snap. But I mean, are you really going to ask people who are right there on your web site, to go and download snapchat, sign up for an account, teach them how to use the app, offer a tutorial on how to send you a video snap? I'm sure one day in the future - maybe a couple of years from now, everyone is on snapchat and this won't be an issue. But that day is not today. So apps like snapchat are not an option when it comes to your web site visitors leaving you audio or video feedback.

Option #2) I guess your youtube channel could be a great place for people to leave you video feedback, but you would first need to send them offsite, away from your web site, to your youtube channel, they would have to log in to youtube first, and they can't upload a video to your channel - they would have to respond to one of your existing videos. And all of that doesn't work if you just want a easy and convenient way for your audience and your customers to simply go to your web site, click a button and leave you video or audio feedback right from that page. I can't believe youtube doesn't provide an easy widget that you can embed into your web site to collect video feedback that is just uploaded automatically to your channel. And I also can't believe that Facebook doesn't offer a way to upload a video as a response to someone else's comments. If you see someone's post on Facebook, you can respond with text, links and even images, but not video. And I actually find that shocking.

Anyway, that brings us to Option #3. When I was getting ready to launch this podcast back in September 2015, I found this amazing free WordPress plugin that does this really well. And this is the best option available on the market. And it's crazy to think that it's actually free! Listen to the episode for more details.

3 must-have tools that you absolutely need, to help secure yourself, as well your web site.

TIP #1) What is the first WordPress plugin I install on every new WordPress site I create? Nope, it's not DAP. It's Wordfence. It's the #1 security plugin for WordPress, and I will not do anything with a new WordPress installation, until I've installed this plugin. And the makers of the WordFence plugin have discovered a vulnerability in the Ninja Forms WordPress plugin. So if you're using Ninja Forms, make sure you upgrade to the latest version. Takes just 1 click to do from the WordPress plugins section of your site.

And if you are not using Ninja Forms, then you should consider switching to it, as it's a fantastic contact-us form plugin, with a lots of features like support for the new captcha from Google, auto responses, storing the emails online in the plugin's settings, just in case you don't get the actual email delivered, and so on. I have the link to the WordFence security article in the shownotes at subscribeme.fm/30/

And then they also found a vulnerability in Yoast SEO. That needs to be updated as well.

I'll have links to all the relevant articles in the shownotes at http://SubscribeMe.fm/30/

TIP #2) And do you know what is the 2nd plugin I install on every new WordPress site I create? Nope, it's still not DAP. It is iThemes Security. Formerly known as WP Security.

And there are a few features that both of them have, so you have to be careful not to turn those features on in both plugins at the same time.

So here are some of the easiest ways to protect your WordPress installation:

* Be alerted when an unauthorized user tries to log in to your web site: Like someone trying to log in as admin, or trying to use a username that doesn't exist, from an IP address that's not authorized, etc.
* You can lock down the admin part of WordPress so that only certain authorized IP addresses can log in as admin
* You can change the location of the WordPress admin login page to a secret page
* Scan WordPress files - like plugin files and theme files - against the WordPress repository to see if anyone of them have been modified, because that's one of the easiest ways your site can become the target of a phishing scheme
* Scan file contents for backdoors, trojans and suspicious code
* Scan posts and comments for known dangerous URLs and suspicious content
* Scan files outside your WordPress installatio
* Lock out after how X number of login failures or remind-password attempts
* Block IP's that access URLs that no one is supposed to access - like certain internal URL's
* Hide the WordPress version
* Change location of the WordPress admin login page
* If you have the default username of "admin", then you can change it to something else with a couple of clicks
* Change your WordPress database prefix - which is good to prevent an automated database hack-attack, especially if you have used an automated installer to install WordPress - these installers are usually provided by most hosting companies, and the default settings they use are not very secure.

So there's a whole bunch of settings that these two plugins provide - WordFence and iThemes Security. And I'm in the process of creating a video that shows the entire set up.

And then, there's one CRITICAL CRITICAL line of code that you need to add to your .htaccess file on your web site - this one is so critical, that without having this line, our web site DigitalAccessPass.com got hacked a couple of times a few years ago. BUT... if you want to know what that one line of code is, all I ask from you, is that you join my list, by going to subscribeme.fm, and wait a few seconds, you'll get a popup, enter your email there, and you'll be on my list. And I'll be emailing this one SUPER CRITICAL line, to you. And you must then add it to your web site right away. No charge. Totally free. Just join my list by going to subscribeme.fm. That's it!

TIP #3) You should IMMEDIATELY change your password to all your webmail accounts - like Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail and your bank's web site.

For 2 reasons.

First one is that a guy named Alex Holden, who is the founder and chief information security officer of Hold Security, discovered that hundreds of millions of web mail accounts were recently hacked, and the hacker is selling these off online. Link in the shownotes at http://SubscribeMe.fm/30/

TIP #4) Use a browser tool called LastPass. There are a few similar ones - like 1Password and Roboform. If you already use one, then that's awesome. But if you don't, then it's really important that you use one - and I personally use LastPass. It's a free online service that stores your passwords in the cloud. Now, before you freak out, remember that all of your passwords are one-way encrypted with super-strong encryption, and the key to opening this encryption, is stored on your computer. So every time you ask their system for a password, this secret key stored on your computer is required before your information can be unencrypted. So even if their service gets hacked, the passwords they get will all be worthless without your secret key. There's a lot more to this, but explaining the technology is beyond the scope of this podcast. So just go with my recommendation - use LastPass. Do not store passwords in your browser. LastPass is available as a plugin for Chrome and Firefox and Safari. So even if you're switching browsers or using multiple browsers on your computer, like I do, then LastPass will help you secure and remember all of your logins and passwords for all of your web sites. One of the biggest issues I see when I do 1-on-1 coaching and membership site set up calls with DAP customers, is a lot of them will spend a whole bunch of time looking for logins and passwords. It is amazing how much time people waste trying to find their log in information for various web sites - like Paypal, Stripe, ClickBank, Aweber, multiple WordPress sites, Godaddy, web hosting control panel, and on and on and on. And using LastPass, you can share passwords securely with other people on your team, like your business partners, virtual assistants, developers and designers. And you never have to send such information by skype or email or any other insecure method. You just share a password from your vault with another LastPass user, and that's it. They get it through the cloud. Super simple, and secure. And the cool thing is, LastPass also has a location to store secure text information. So if you have other secure information that you would normally write on a piece of paper and keep in your bedroom locker, now you can securely keep it in your LastPass account, and now all your kids and spouse and lawyer needs, is the secret key to your LastPass account. That's it! Just one password to remember for all the important people in your life, just in case, you know.

So get LastPass, and you will save a CRAZY amount of time, effort and frustration by using LastPass. And no, I'm not affiliated with LastPass and I don't get a single penny from recommending them. Same thing goes for WordFence and iThemes security.

So those are the 3 major security tools that I highly recommend you install and use right away: WordFence and iThemes Security for your WordPress sites, and LastPass. And don't forget to change the passwords to every single online service - especially because May 5th was world password day, and it was created to remind us that passwords to mission critical services must be changed every now and then.

And don't forget that one last piece of security super tip that I haven't given to you yet - you can get it simply by signing up for my list, at subscribeme.fm.

Until the next time, here's a quick tip of the day: If you're using Chrome, search for Lastpass, and download the Chrome plugin. And set it up today, and every time going forward, every web site you visit and log in to, LassPass will ask you if you want to store the login information. Just keep saying yes, and you'll never ever use paper, or fumble and stumble for passwords ever again.

Friends don't let friends go without telling them about SubscribeMe.fm. So please let a friend know about this security episode - the link you can share, is http://SubscribeMe.fm/30/ .

Membership Model #6: Coaching Portal:
In this model, you sell coaching and consulting: When it comes to a membership plugin like DAP, even a service is basically created as a “Product”. So just like you would sell a digital report, or a software program, a service is sold the same way: Create a Product, give it a price, and use the membership plugin to configure what content they get if they buy your “Service”, and that’s it.

Now, with a service, you don’t always HAVE to provide an online member’s area, because you may be delivering the actual service offline – like SEO or Web Design services, Accounting services, Lawn Maintenance services, etc.

However, it can be very useful to create at least a couple of member pages where they can log in and see a summary of what they purchased, change their Profile information (like name, and email and password). And any supporting worksheets and documents that you create during consultation, can be added to this member's area, so that the member can log in later and download meeting notes, or special documents you created for them. It doesn't even have to be custom stuff - even the standard documents and videos and follow-up lessons and refresher videos can all be added to the member's area.

If you have a service that requires them to schedule a 1-on-1 call with you, then you can embed an online calendar from a service like Calendly.com - which is what I use myself to schedule interviews for my podcast, even though I've brought on only one guest so far), and then there are other services like ScheduleOnce.com , doodle.com/meetme or SimplyBook.me

And after you embed it on a page, you can then protect that page with DAP, and now only members can book an appointment with you for a private coaching call.

Or if you are doing group coaching, you can embed a Google Hangouts video or a Webinar Registration form on a DAP-protected page and allow only certain types of members to sign up for the webinar.

Membership Model #7. Credit Store: Credits & Rewards
Imagine you’re at a restaurant, ready to order food. And you tell the waiter, “I would like to start with some ice-cream“. The waiter looks at you squarely, and says “I’m sorry, but you must first order something to drink, then eat the salad, then the entree, and only then can you order dessert“! Not cool, right?

So, back in 2008, when I had just launched DAP, I had a customer give me this idea. She wanted to be able to offer points to her members, which they could redeem for stuff she was selling. And that gave birth to what I called the Self-Service Store or SSS. And then we totally abandoned it for a while. Then fast-forward a few years later, Veena took it up again, completely re-imagined and re-developed it from scratch, and create what has been a game-changing plugin, and she gave it the name Credit Store.

I talked in detail about this in 2 of my past episodes: Episode 12, which was titled "E12: To Drip or Not To Drip Content: That Is The Question". And episode 13, which was titled " Why You Should NOT Drip Content In Your Membership Site Or Online Course". Check out both of those episodes at http://subscribeme.fm/12/ and http://subscribeme.fm/13/ .

Finally...

Membership model #8: Online Billing for an Offline Service
You may have an entirely offline service – like web design, accounting, or even lawn maintenance! You can accept payments one-time or on a monthly basis for your service. You can optionally add an online member’s area and give them some online tips, send service and billing reminders, etc. It can be online billing for a purely offline service. You can use DAP for such offline services as well. You would basically set up the buy button in such a way that it simply logs them into a one- or two-page member’s area, where you can address them by name, thank them for their purchase, and show them next-steps and explain how the service will be delivered.

You can also add an “Online Report” for an “Offline Product” – for example, if you are selling a Blender, then you can deliver a “How to Lose 10 Pounds in 3 Months By Juicing” report, and deliver it to them securely online via the member’s area. You can add videos and audio to the member’s area showing how to use the blender, give them recipes, have videos that show how to create different types of juices with the blender, etc.

Ok, that brings us to the last segment of this show:

Tool of the day:
One of my favorite tools is Wunderlist. It is absolutely the best to-do list-creation tool there is. It works on your phone, on your desktop, and tablet. So I'll be going for a run with my dog Vanilla, and I'll suddenly get this content idea. And I'll just quickly pull out my phone, fire up Wunderlist, and there, I have many lists created - podcast episode, facebook post, blog post, grocery list, marketing ideas, etc. If it's a podcast episode idea, then I'll click on the podcast list, and start typing the idea. I can even click on a microphone icon, and start dictating, and Wunderlist is smart enough to transcribe it as I'm dictating. Super, super awesome app. One of my favorite tools that I couldn't live without.

If I have added any kind of value to your life, have helped you in any way shape or form, and if you appreciate the content in this podcast, then I would really appreciate it if you would head over to my site http://SubscribeMe.fm, and sign up for my list, for free! because that helps me know who you are, and it helps me put a name to the anonymous listener that you are right now. And when you sign up, you can also find out how you can get a free copy of my book, Subscribe Me: Making, Marketing & Monetizing Online Digital Content with Membership Sites, Online Courses and Subscriptions.

And there's a lot more cool stuff coming in future episodes, so please subscribe to the show via iTunes or Stitcher. Go to http://SubscribeMe.fm and you'll see all of the links there.

Thanks again for listening to my show. I really, really appreciate your time. Until the next time, here's a quick tip of the day: Download Wunderlist right now - right after you finish listening to this episode, and create 5 top-level lists - like Member content, Podcast, Blog, Facebook, Groceries. And you'll figure out the rest from there.

Until the next time, cheers!