PHOOLE & THE GANG GUIDE
Make Sure You Take Care of Your Internet Speeds!
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Make sure you don't have a data cap on your internet service account that could be keeping you slow! Check your internet service provider's website to find out how to access your account's details and ensure you have sufficient speed. A minimum of 2.5Mbps speed is needed to enjoy streaming shows.
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Reset your router to refresh your internet connection. I do this EVERY WEEK before broadcasting; doing this once a month is fine for most casual users. Use an internet search engine to find the instructions for resetting your particular router - you may need to go look at your actual physical router to learn what manufacturer made it and what model number it is to be able to get correct resetting instructions. It may be as simple as turning it off and back on again; it might be as easy as unplugging it and plugging it back in. It might be even easier if your router has its own webpage where you can click a "Reboot" or "Reset" button on it, or if your internet service provider has an app that lets you do this remotely!
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Reposition your router if you are relying on wifi.
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Connect directly to your router with an Ethernet cable - wifi isn't always the best for streaming shows!
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Use a streamlined browser like Firefox or Opera. Google Chrome can be a sluggish browser that hogs system resources and needlessly invades your privacy.
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Install a 'clear cache' plugin in your browser if possible. If you are a wizard at clicking through the many menus needed to clear your cache, go with what works for you, but if you can work smarter and not harder to have fun, opt for simple plugin elegance. Some browsers call plugins 'addons' or 'extensions.'
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If your browser still seems slow, try accessing the show via a private or incognito tab or window in your browser.
Signing up at Slipmat.io
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In a web browser, navigate to slipmat.io/account/signup (or click here to open another browser tab and navigate to this URL).
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Complete the registration form. Enter your email address (one that you use frequently and know how to access easily, not one that you haven't used in a long time or one that you don't know how to access), create a password, then retype the password to confirm it.
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Then click REGISTER.
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Check the email account you used to register. You will receive a message from Slipmat.io - click the link in the message to proceed with account creation.
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If you don't see the message in your Inbox, check any junk mail folders, spam folders, or clutter folders your email account might have.
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It's a good idea to add noreply@slipmat.io to your contacts to make sure your email application doesn't designate the message as junk or spam.
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Once you click the link in the message, you will arrive at this screen:
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Complete the "Create Your Listener Profile" form as shown immediately above. Pick a fun display name - this is the name that will represent you in the chatroom! Complete the rest of the form and then click "Save changes."
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After you click "Save changes," you may or may not be taken to another page.
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If nothing happens after you click "Save changes," just click the Slipmat.io logo in the upper left corner of the screen to go to the main page.
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You can complete your profile with additional info and your picture by clicking the circular avatar in the upper right corner of the page!
Tuning In at Slipmat.io
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Before a Show is Live:
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Visit slipmat.io/phoole and click on the show listed under Upcoming Events that you want to join online when it goes live.
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Click on the "Subscribe to Get Notifications" button to subscribe to receive a notification when that show goes live if you need an email reminder!
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At slipmat.io/phoole, be sure to click the "Become a Fan" button!
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Once a show goes live, you can access the show at Slipmat.io in these ways:
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Visit slipmat.io, find the live show displayed at the top of the screen, and click it to join it.
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Visit a specific show link posted for the specific date at facebook.com/phooleofficial, twitter.com/phoole, sent out in the Phooliverse Flash (phoole.com/list to join) or posted to the Phoole Patreon Platoon at patreon.com/phoole.
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Sign in, if you are not yet signed in, and join the fun!
Troubleshooting at Slipmat.io
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Asking Phoole to help you resolve viewing issues while she's broadcasting live might not go well.
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Phoole has a LOT going on when she's broadcasting live!
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Other viewers in the chat room might have advice, but helping yourself to the information below will always be more effective and efficient.
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If show is buffering or getting "stuck":
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Click on the settings in the lower right corner of the video player (look for the word "AUTO" and click on it to see options for different speeds you can select).
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Change to a lower bitrate. (Click "AUTO"
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A minimum of 2.5Mbps download speed is needed to watch shows on slipmat.io.
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Internet speed can be checked at speedtest.net.
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If you subscribe to a fast internet speed package with your internet service provider, but you find that you are getting slow speeds while using wifi, try connecting the device on which you're watching to your router using an Ethernet cable.
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Newer laptops and devices may not have an Ethernet port; however, inexpensive Ethernet cable adapters can be obtained online at a wide variety of sellers.
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Chrome users may find that accessing slipmat.io in incognito mode may solve their viewing problems.
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Firefox users may find that accessing slipmat.io in a private window may solve their viewing problems.
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Clear cookies and local data - click here to download a PDF guide to this process.
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Try the steps in "Make Sure You Take Care of Your Internet Speeds!" above.
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It's important to note that while Twitch is a major corporation (owned by Amazon and armed with all of the money in the entire world) with platoons of support staff and developers, Slipmat.io and Mixcloud are one-person operations who occasionally-but-not-often have help from volunteer collaborative developers. Mixcloud and Slipmat.io are not money machines or giant entertainment monoliths - they're programmers building you a music-appreciation venue with very few resources and very little time to make improvements or changes. That the sites are as great as they are is due to love of the work, love of the community, and a lot of hard work by one person at each site.
Tune In Early to See If You Connect!
Most Fridays, there is a show on at these sites that you may love even more than Phoole & the Gang - it's the Urban Love Ulcer rock'n'roll show, live from Glasgow, Scotland!
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Tune in at Slipmat.io at https://slipmat.io/urbanloveulcer
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Tune in at Mixcloud Live at https://www.mixcloud.com/live/urbanloveulcer/
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Tune in at Twitch at twitch.tv/urbanloveulcer
Pete Howard, who is the host of the show, goes live Fridays for 2 hours before I go live - so that's from 4pm Central US time!
See if you're able to tune into his show - and if you can get him at slipmat.io/urbanloveulcer, he automatically transfers his audience to my show, so you're already tuned in for Phoole & the Gang!
US audiences may love Pete's excellent taste in music more than what I play - and everyone will enjoy his antics and lightning wit! He's the real stuff!