Easy Prey27 Jul 2022

How to Avoid Scammy Tech with Ken from Computer Clan

Advertisements can manipulate us and depict a product that doesn't actually work. The challenge is knowing if the technology does what they say it does. Today's guest is Ken from Computer Clan. Ken, or commonly known as Crazy Ken, has been running the Computer Clan YouTube channel since September of 2007. He posts tech videos about rare and retro tech, new tech, and even has a series about scammy tech products. Whether you are a tech whiz or a beginner, it doesn't matter. Ken will bring the knowledge, science, entertainment, and even debunk a few scams along the way.

Show Notes:

[0:51] - Computer Clan is one of the longest running tech focused YouTube channels. Ken shares the channel's background.
[2:28] - The channel is celebrating its 15th anniversary and now is Ken's full time job.
[3:06] - Ken shared how a tech product advertisement gave him the idea to debunk false advertisements in videos.
[4:27] - When he was younger, Ken made a purchase and experienced the disappointment of advertisements that promise more than they offer.
[7:38] - A big red flag to look for is the cheesy video ad that promises things that seem miraculous.
[8:40] - Another ad feature that can be used ethically, but can also be abused are those fake countdown timers on websites.
[9:47] - Review sections of a product are not always accurate. If you take a closer look, some of the comments are the same.
[11:45] - If there is a bad experience, even if there isn't a review, people do tell their friends. Be careful about perfect reviews.
[12:37] - Ken shares a story about ads that steal video footage from other companies.
[14:10] - There are a lot of ways to find stock footage, but many fake ads pull footage from copyrighted material.
[16:57] - Some of the products might not be odd, but Ken says that some of the clickbait ads are strange.
[18:21] - In the early days of Covid, people took advantage to create ads that claim more than is possible.
[20:25] - Ken shares some products that he thought would be a scam that actually turned out to work fine, but the ads were misleading.
[22:40] - During his videos, Ken even sometimes has a fire extinguisher handy.
[24:19] - Urgency could be a red flag.
[25:30] - Ken shares some of the products he is looking at to debunk the ad and the product.
[27:20] - The educational element of the Computer Clan YouTube channel can show you that although not all products are fake, they may not be what you need.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

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