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He may not be hoping to go viral, but Commissioner Jonathan Mintz is using YouTube to broadcast some important information. The staff at Department of Consumer Affairs has put together their own channel to address some of the most common questions they get from the public.

For instance, debt collection is one of the topics covered in the first five videos posted.

“I think that there’s something very straightforward about having somebody on our staff who knows about this issue, who deals with this issue with the public all the time, just sitting and talking to the public in a YouTube video in the way that we would talk to each other. This is what you really need to know, this is what you want to be careful about. It’s really straight from the Department of Consumer Affairs’ mouth,” says Mintz.

Other topics include tips for buying a used car, general smart shopping tips and instructions on how to file a complaint with the department.

All of the videos are available in both English and Spanish.

Mintz says in this multimedia world, his goal is not to replace personal assistance with video clips. He simply hopes the videos will serve as short reminders of the type of help that's available.

“And then, maybe a flag will go off later when they’re involved in that situation and they’ll remember that there is a particular consumer right that they have, or that Consumer Affairs can help them, and they’ll know to come back to us,” says Mintz.

The "Protect Your Money" series isn't the DCA's first foray into social media. The department already has a Facebook page and Twitter account. The DCA can also be contacted via 311 or at NYC.gov.

To watch the DCA’s videos, go to youtube.com/nycdca.