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Run That By Pam · Run That By Pam · The Practical AI Magazine
Deborah Kirkpatrick
Editor in Chief  ·  Run That By Pam
runthatbypam.netlify.app  ·  Free Edition
✦   Vol. 1  •  For Everyday People  •  Free Edition   ✦
Your New Best Friend
Happens to Be AI
How Pam is changing the way everyday people connect with technology — no prompts, no tech degree, just conversation
🛑
Scam Spotter: Spot It Before It Hits You
Caregiver Corner: AI Gives You Time Back
Writers: Think Out Loud with Pam
3 Free Tools for Real Life This Week
Ask Pam: Your Questions Answered
Run That By Pam · Run That By Pam · The Practical AI Magazine
Free Edition
runthatbypam.netlify.app
Vol. 1
Read This Issue
✦ From Pam's Desk
A Note from the Editor

When I first started talking to AI, I felt exactly what I imagine a lot of you feel right now — somewhere between curious and completely out of my depth. I am not a tech person. I am a person who cares deeply about other people, who has spent years in caregiving spaces, who knows that the right conversation at the right time can change everything.

That is exactly why I created Run That By Pam. Because I kept watching people I love get left behind — not because they weren't smart enough, but because nobody was speaking to them in a language that felt like home. No jargon. No judgment. No tutorials that make your eyes glaze over. Just real talk, real tools, real life.

Pam is my answer to that gap. And this magazine is my way of making sure she reaches everyone who needs her. I am so glad you found us. Now let's get into it.

✍️
Deborah Kirkpatrick
Editor in Chief · Run That By Pam
Welcome to Issue One

You Don't Need to Know What to Ask.
Just Start Talking.

Pam isn't here to teach you prompts. She's here to have a conversation — because the best ideas come out when you're not trying so hard.

Here's what nobody tells you about AI: you don't need the perfect prompt. You don't need to be a tech person. You don't need to know exactly what you want before you start. You just need to open your mouth — or your fingers — and say what's on your mind.

That's the whole philosophy behind Run That By Pam. I've watched people tie themselves in knots trying to figure out the "right way" to talk to AI. They Google prompts. They take courses. They buy books. And then they sit there, staring at a blinking cursor, still feeling like they're doing it wrong.

"You don't need the perfect prompt. You just need to start talking. Pam will meet you there."

— Pam's Promise

Stop that. Seriously. Just talk to it the same way you'd talk to a smart friend who happens to know everything. Tell it what you're thinking about. Tell it what's confusing you. Tell it what you're trying to figure out. The conversation will do the rest.

That's what this magazine is about. Every issue, every article, every tip — it all comes back to one simple idea: AI is a conversation, not a command. And Pam is here to show you how to have it.

Welcome to Issue One. I'm so glad you're here. Now let's talk.

🛑
Scam Spotter
✦ Pam's Guide to Protecting Yourself

Scammers love this moment in history. Why? Because AI has made fake messages look more real than ever. Gone are the days of obviously broken English and Nigerian princes. Today's scams are polished, personal, and designed to make you panic before you can think.

Here's Pam's rule: if it's urgent, slow down. Real banks, real companies, real people — they don't need you to act in the next five minutes. Panic is the scammer's best tool. Don't give it to them.

🚨 Scam of the Issue — The "Account Closing" Text
"URGENT: Your bank account has been flagged for suspicious activity. Your account will be closed in 24 hours unless you verify your information immediately. Click here: [link]"
This message is designed to do one thing: make you panic. Once you're panicking, you stop thinking clearly. The scammer knows this. The link takes you to a fake website that looks exactly like your bank's site — and the moment you enter your login, they have it. Your real bank will never contact you this way. If you're worried, hang up or close the message, then call the number on the back of your actual card.
✦ Pam's Red Flag Checklist
  • It creates urgency — "act now," "24 hours," "immediately"
  • It asks you to click a link or call a number in the message
  • It asks for a password, Social Security number, or gift card
  • It comes from a number you don't recognize
  • Something just feels off — trust that feeling
✦ Caregiver Corner
💚
AI Gives You Time Back
✦ For Everyone Carrying Someone Else's World

If you're a caregiver, time is the one thing you never have enough of. You're coordinating appointments, managing medications, navigating insurance calls, communicating with family members who all want updates — and somehow still trying to take care of yourself somewhere in there.

AI won't replace you. Nothing could. But it can take some of the mental weight off your shoulders. Here's how caregivers are using conversational AI right now — not with prompts, just with conversation.

✦ Pam's Caregiver AI Starters — Just Say These Out Loud
  • "Pam, I need to write a letter to my mom's insurance company. They denied her claim for physical therapy and I don't know where to start."
  • "I have an appointment with my dad's doctor on Thursday. Help me think through what questions I should be asking."
  • "I'm exhausted and I have 45 minutes to myself. What are some things I can actually do to decompress that don't take a lot of energy?"
  • "Help me explain my husband's diagnosis to our kids in a way they can understand."

Notice what all of those have in common? They're just sentences. Normal, human sentences. That's Pam's whole point — you don't need a special skill to do this. You just need to say what you need.

"You're already doing the hardest job there is. Let AI carry a little of the paperwork."

— Caregiver Corner, Issue 1
✦ The Writer's Room
✍️
Think Out Loud with Pam
✦ For Writers Who Just Need to Get It Out of Their Head

Writer's fatigue is real. You know what you want to say — somewhere deep in there, the story is fully formed. But between your brain and the blank page, something gets lost. The idea gets muddier the harder you try to grab it.

Here's what Pam wants writers to know: you don't have to arrive with a perfect prompt. You just have to show up and talk. The conversation itself is the tool. Watch how this works in real life:

💬 Think Out Loud — A Real Example
Writer
I'm trying to write this essay about my grandmother but every time I sit down it comes out wrong. It's like I can't figure out what it's actually about.
Pam
Tell me one moment with her. Just one — the first one that comes to mind. Don't worry about whether it's the right one.
Writer
She used to sit at the kitchen table at like 5am every morning before anyone else was up. Just her and her coffee. I'd sometimes come down early and she'd never say anything, just slide over to make room.
Pam
That's your essay. It's not about her life — it's about what it felt like to be let into someone's quiet. The sliding over without words. That's what you're trying to say.
Writer
Oh. Yeah. That's exactly it.

That entire exchange took about three minutes. No prompt. No technique. Just a writer talking out loud until the thing they already knew became clear.

That's what Pam is for. Not to write your story for you — but to help you hear it. Because the story is already in there. Sometimes you just need someone to help you find the door.

✦ When You're Stuck — Just Say One of These to Pam
  • "I'm working on something but I don't know what it's really about yet. Can I just talk through it?"
  • "I wrote myself into a corner. Here's where I am — help me think through where it could go."
  • "I have three different ideas and I can't figure out which one I actually want to write. Help me sort through them."
  • "I'm feeling really disconnected from this piece. Can you ask me questions about it?"
✦ Ask Pam
🎙️
Ask Pam
Your Questions,
Answered
✦ Real Questions from Real People
I feel silly talking to AI. Like I'm talking to myself. Is that weird?
— Feels Ridiculous in Florida

Honey, half the people using AI feel exactly this way and the other half are lying. It IS a little weird at first. You're talking to something that isn't a person, that never gets tired of you, that responds instantly and never judges you. That's not how most of our conversations work.

But here's what happens: you start. You type something small. It responds thoughtfully. You type back. And somewhere in there, the weirdness fades — because the conversation starts to actually be useful. Not because AI became a person, but because the back-and-forth started to feel natural.

Nobody picks up a phone without feeling awkward the first few times. Give yourself that same grace here.

Start small. Say "Hey Pam, I don't even know what to say." See what happens.
— Pam 🎙️
Is it safe to tell AI personal things? I worry about my privacy.
— Cautious in Colorado

This is a smart question and I'm glad you asked it. Here's the honest answer: be thoughtful, not fearful.

You don't need to share your Social Security number, your passwords, or your full address with any AI — ever. There's no reason to. But talking about your feelings, your writing, your family situation, your stress? That's generally fine, and most major AI tools have privacy policies that don't store your conversations for advertising.

Think of it like talking to a friend in a coffee shop. Don't shout your bank account number across the room. But you can absolutely tell them about your day.

Use good judgment. Share what helps the conversation. Protect the stuff that could hurt you if it got out.
— Pam 🎙️
✦ Pam's Pick of the Week
⭐
This Week's Pick:
Claude.ai
✦ Free · No Download · Works on Your Phone
Claude by Anthropic
Conversational AI · Free to Use · claude.ai

If you've never talked to an AI before — or if you've tried and felt like it didn't really get you — Pam wants you to try Claude. Out of all the AI tools out there right now, this one feels the most like an actual conversation.

You don't sign up for a class. You don't learn commands. You just go to claude.ai, type what's on your mind, and see what happens. It's patient, it's warm, and it genuinely tries to understand what you're getting at — not just what you literally said.

Try this for your first message: "Hi, I'm new to this. I'm a caregiver / writer / everyday person and I've heard AI could help me. Can we just start a conversation?" That's it. See where it goes.

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Deborah Kirkpatrick, Editor in Chief
No spam · No tech jargon · Just Pam, every week