Q: Are you a police officer?
A: I took these videos merely as a fan of the (Bellevue) police. I also am a fan of the fire department, but my videos usually focus on crime news.
Q: Where do you live? Where do you work? What do you look like? What are your political views? etc. . . . (and simular personal questions)
A: I keep my private life, private. I never meet anyone that contacts me on the internet, nor do I share personal information. This is because there are crazy people out there that may want to meet me . . . And they scare me :) Some information about me can be found on my YouTube Profile.
Q: How did you get that "banner" on your youtube channel? What is Google Adsense and/or YouTube's Partner Program?
A: If you join Googles Adsense and YouTube's Partner Program, it grants you access to make special customizations to your YouTube account. Those programs enable you to make money off advertisements on your videos (and other mediums). YouTube must approve you as a partner and they might send you an email when they think you are ready. If you have any specific questions about those programs, please ask YouTube or Google because I have very limited knowledge in these areas.
Q: Who is your audience?
A: According to YouTube’s Insight feature, the vast majority of people who view my videos are American males between the ages of 35 and 45.
A: I have two police scanners. One is a Uniden Bearcat BCD396T, and the other is a Pro-91. These can be purchased at many electronic stores, including Radio Shack (though I do not recommend Radio Shack), and are legal in most states in the US. My camera is a Sony HDR HC1 and I film in wide screen (16:9). When I hear an interesting call on my scanner, I go to the scene and video tape it. Then I call different local media outlets (the numbers are usually on their website). People that do this are called "Stringers." And I use Magix Movie Edit Pro 10 to edit my footage.
Q: Can you help me pick out or program a police scanner?
A: No. . . I would rather you try by yourself. Unfortunately, I rarely have the time to help people. In addition, I am relatively new to scanning. However, I do have a few simple recommendations: if you are considering purchasing a scanner, first research if it is legal in your state/country. Become a member of Radio Reference, because it's free and that site has a ton of people that are willing to help you out. If you are having trouble with your scanner, also try Googling the exact scanner name/product, because most companies post instruction manuals online and/or other scanner listeners may have already asked the same question on a forum. If you want to learn more about scanning, check out this Seattle Times article about "scanner freeks". Go to the "Radio Monitoring" part of my Links Page for more resources on scanning.
Q: Can you send me a file?
A: No, I never send files to people I meet on the internet. This is because I can not guarantee that the video/audio/picture file I send you will be used in a way I support.
Q: You have not posted any videos recently, why is that?
A: At the end of February 2008, I stopped making and selling news footage for personal reasons. I am very happy with this decision.
Q: What is you policy on YouTube comments?
A: As of June 2, 2008, commenting is NO longer allowed on my content. Previous to that, at the beginning of March of 2008, I made it so that comments on all my videos require my approval prior to going public. This was my previous comment policy, "If you commented, but never saw it approved, it might be because: I have not had time to approve it, it was disrespectful to me or another user, it was spam, it contained explicit language, it contained sexual (or suggestive) content, and so on…. Comments do not necessarily have to be positive, but they do need to be constructive. On some occasions, I will respond to negative comments (ones that violate my policy) so that I can discuss an issue that I feel other users may take interest in. I do not respond to every comment."
Q: Why did you block me?
A: I usually block users that violate my comment policy and that spam me with messages and videos (it does not matter if I am your “friend” or “subscribed” to you). I usually accept all friend request, so long as I believe they have the right intentions.
Q: What does "Aunt Bee 09" mean? What is your real name?
A: The "Aunt Bee" part comes from The Andy Griffith Show. I like the show and I think that character is special. The "09" is just random and has no significance. My real name is Travis (last name withheld).
Q: Has anyone ever asked you NOT to post a video/picture which they appear in, on to the internet?
A: No, no one has ever asked me to take down a video or picture that they were in. If you see yourself in one of my videos and/or pictures, and you do not want to be seen, email me. If you can prove to me you are telling the truth, and you are being reasonable, I will probably be able to work something out. Anyone who is in my pictures and does not want to be, email me imminently and I will "block out" your face; as long as it seems like you are telling the truth, pictures are much easier to edit and/or take down than YouTube videos are. I do not want to offend anyone, including city/government employees. My email is auntbee09@aim.com.
Q: I have a scanner, where can I find information for my area?
A: Go to the database at RadioReference.com and search for your area.
Q: How can I get some of your footage?
A: I generally only give out my footage to news companies and/or film makers. I am willing to donate footage to any government agencies that I have filmed. Unless you can PROVE to me that you have some relationship to the incident I filmed, I will not give or sell you my footage. This is because I do not want my footage to get in the wrong hands. So basically, I do not want the general public to have my raw footage.
Q: Your videos show a lot of crime; does Bellevue have a high crime rate?
A: No, Bellevue does not have a high crime rate. On the contrary, Bellevue is one of the safest cities in the northwest for its population. Read a recent press release about crime in Bellevue here.
Q: How often do you make money at what you do?
A: After I film an incident, I generally call KOMO 4, KING 5, KIRO 7, and Q 13 FOX and describe to them the footage I got. If they want it, they usually tell me right then (sometimes they call me back). Most of the time, they do not want my footage. Probably only a quarter of my videos have been sold to the news agencies. The average selling price is about $100.
Q: Can you help me with problems I have with Youtube or my website? Can you promote my stuff?
A: Look for help from YouTube. Most problems are common and Youtube knows about it, so they often post solutions to problems at their Help Center and they also provide a list of "Current Site Issues". As for website design help: I know very little. I learned most everything as I did from different internet sites. So I probably would not be much help. As for promoting your site and/or videos: I would only do that if they related to my videos (and I would assume that you would then promote my site in return). Generally, I would have to say I do not promote others videos.
Q: How much do you listen to your scanner?
A: I listen to it when I'm in the car, watching TV, searching the web, and going to sleep. It's not like all I do is sit at home and listen to my scanner... Maybe in my early days of listening/stringing I listened to it in an unhealthy amount, but I've learn to cut down because you can listen to your scanner for 23 hours of the day, and the most exciting/newsworthy event will happen in the 1 hour you had the scanner off. On the other hand, things are sometimes more likely to happen on some days or time-frames than others (but it is still not guaranteed a Friday night will be "busy").
-AuntBee09
auntbee09@aim.com
YouTube.com/AuntBee09
