Resources
This page contains a list of products and services I use for the blog, podcast, and videos. Some of these services I’m affiliate member. So if you sign up with the links I provided, it helps me keep the site running.
Other links will take you to Amazon. I’m also an Amazon affiliate, so purchasing through my links will also help me.
No pressure. No expectation. As always, I promise to be transparent as possible if I’m getting any kick back from things I post and share.
“I want to start a blog Brian!” I hear this very often from people who want to know what I use for my blog.
Unless you know you’re going to be doing it for a long time and want a lot of flexibility in the look and feel for your site, you’re best off using a free blogging site like wordpress.com, bloggers, and so forth.
I started on wordpress.com and then moved to my own domain, a hosted location, but I’m still using WordPress as my primary driver for content.
| Product/Service | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
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Just like my blog, I use SiteGround for my website hosting. I’ve had good success with their customer service. They offer a few plans with their StartUp for small sites. I use “GrowBig” with the hope I would have multiple URLs hosted at once. I could absolutely gone with the StartUp and still be successful. I also loved they installed WordPress for me so I didn’t have to deal with it. Full transparency, I’m part of their affiliate program so if you purchase through these links, I do get a small kick back. |
SiteGround |
WizardCast Podcast Resources
Occasionally, I get asked what do I use to make the WizardCast podcast. Many of these folks are interested in starting a podcast. Here’s what I use and some resources I took advantage of.
| Product/Service | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
Libsyn  |
Libsyn is an inexpensive, flexible, and easy platform for hosting podcast files. I love this system. The customer service is fast and helpful. Plus, if I run out of monthly storage, I can increase my subscription mid month so I can upload more content. Then I can downgrade for the next month. Plans start as low as $5 a month. I pay $7 to add basic statistics. Libsyn also also host show notes and your feed – although it’s not my primary feed.
I’m now a partner! Get 1 month free at your tier of choice with code: podmagic |
Libsyn |
Blue Yeti Microphone  |
When I’m recording from home, this is my microphone of choice. It’s an amazing microphone that provides clear audio. I highly recommend this microphone, if you have a fairly quiet location to record. It’s a condenser microphone and can pick up background noise easily. This can be fantastic but can be a hindrance if you record in an area background noise. | Blue Yeti USB Microphone |
Shure SM58S Microphone  |
When I’m recording away from home, this is my microphone of choice. I actually own 2 Shure SM58 microphone. One with the on/off switch and one without. I love these microphones because they’re dynamic. I can record in a loud space and I still sound clear. The noise becomes a low rumble background noise. If you ever listened to my Dreamforce live episodes at the keynote, this is the microphone I use. This is an XLR microphone so you do need something to plug it into | Shure SM58S Vocal Microphone (with On Off Switch) |
Zoom H4N recorder  |
When I’m recording from home, this is the device I plug those Shure SM58 mics into. You don’t HAVE to use an external mic. It comes with a condense microphone above, but that means it will pick up any background noise quiet loudly. This isn’t always a bad thing. This is the device I used to record the Apex and the Limits audio at the live events. I also use this to plug into the sound system at MidWest Dreamin and Dungeons and Dreamforce. It accepts an XLR input so anyplace that feed that works well. There’s also the Zoom H5 that has a bunch of gain and audio adjustment knobs. If you’re ALWAYS recording on the go, this would be a preferred choice. | Zoom H4N Digital Multitrack Recorder |
| Skype | Mark and almost all guest interviews are done remotely. Mark and I are separated by states. There’s many choices for internet audio. I’ve found Skype is one of the easiest and most common tools available. It’s also free! The frustrating part is recording the audio from Skype. There’s a few paid plugins, but I haven’t found I really liked. | Skype |
| Alis Recording Tool | This is my recording software of choice when recording at home. I can record my microphone and audio inputs as separate channels. This can be helpful from a editing standpoint. It does require that I use the “Stereo Mix” feature on my computer. That’s not available to all sound cards. Thankfully, it’s available on mine. It’s also a Windows only software. | Alis Recording Tool |
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Just like my blog, I use SiteGround for my website hosting. I’ve had good success with their customer service. They offer a few plans with their StartUp for small sites. I use “GrowBig” with the hope I would have multiple URLs hosted at once. I could absolutely gone with the StartUp and still be successful. I also loved they installed WordPress for me so I didn’t have to deal with it. Full transparency, I’m part of their affiliate program so if you purchase through these links, I do get a small kick back. |
SiteGround |
| Audacity | Audacity is a free tool for audio editing. It’s a very popular tool. This is the tool Mark uses to edit the WizardCast. Why don’t I do it? Well Mark was already experienced with Audacity so he’s faster and just better at than me. However, Audacity isn’t difficult to use. I’ve used it for other purposes and there lots of tutorial videos out there to help you learn the program. |
Audacity</a |
Wizard Apprentice – Youtube Video – Resources
Enjoy the Wizard Apprentice, my youtube training videos? Want to know what I use to create these videos?
| Product/Service | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
Green Screen  |
A green screen is definitely not required. It’s something I got for video ideas that haven’t come to fruition. Many software will handle greenscreen as long as you have a solid color behind you. You could even do this with some cheap green table cloths.
I like this package because it came with 2 bright lights with stands, a stand for the green screen, and a handle travel case. I wish it came with clips for the fabric, but those are fairly inexpensive. I opted to hang my greenscreen from a curtain rod instead of using the stands due to my space limitations. |
Green Screen |
Camtasia  |
There’s a lot of tools out there for creating and editing videos. I chose Camtasia because it’s easy to use, semi-inexpensive, and flexible. I’m able to use it with PowerPoint, my webcam, or simply recording a screen. I’ve also used Camtasia for modifying video I recorded on my phone, goPro, and handheld camera. | Camtasia 9 |