The Timesaver

If you had asked me about being a Virtual Pioneer 3 years ago, I would have wondered what you were talking about (even though I’d been doing it for the past 20+ years!). It just never dawned on me to refer to myself as such. You know the saying…it could be staring you right in the face and you’d never see it….Ah well, live and learn! Enjoy this article written by Patty Benton, a fellow Virtual Assistant.

Are You Ready to be a Virtual Pioneer?
Top Five Benefits of Working Virtually
by Patty Benton

Throughout our history, we’ve had adventurers and pioneers.  People who have taken risks and were driven to follow their dreams.  People who didn’t stop when small trials or tribulations came up.

Are you a pioneer? 

Maybe you’ve tinkered with the idea or have already taken the leap – whether employed in a traditional work setting or starting  a business as  a home-based professional, you know there’s something tremendously appealing about working virtually. In fact, it’s an option that’s becoming increasingly popular in today’s society. Statistics show that one out of five people in a traditional work setting are telecommuting at least one day a week – and, in the U.S. alone, statistics reveal that home-based workers constitute a $427 billion a year industry, 52 percent of all small firms.
 
Many of us have worked within the traditional norm of “going” to work every day…   And today’s norm is increasingly shifting to the commute being just a few steps down the hall at home to go to work.
 
If you remain on the fence about making a case to your employer about the benefits of working from home a couple days a week or even to yourself about finally becoming a home-based entrepreneur, consider the following:
  
# 1 – Flexible Schedule
Working virtually offers individuals the ability to have more freedom over their own schedules.  Whether you’re a parent who wants to be able to volunteer in your child’s classroom or you want to have time for home projects or you know you work best late at night so working in a “traditional” environment just doesn’t work for you….  Being able to manage your own schedule is very freeing.  It is a wonderful thing to plan your work around your life rather than the other way around.

# 2 – Money Saved on Professional Wardrobe
With client interactions at a minimum, a “professional” wardrobe for a virtual professional does not translate the same as a “professional” wardrobe for a corporate executive.  Most days, wearing something as simple as jeans and a sweater or polo is professional enough for working from home.  With the majority of contact coming through email or the phone, pin-striped power suits are now polka-dotted pajamas!

# 3 – Meeting people from all over the world
Your coworkers and networking contacts are no longer on the other side of the cubicle/office wall.  With virtual workspaces, there are virtually no limits.  Chatting with a fellow professional from Australia while working on a project for a client in Germany and sitting in your office in Colorado…  Well, you get the idea!  

# 4 – Being there for your family
In addition to flexible scheduling, you also get to still be there for your family.  There are wonderful things that happen every day in your children’s lives.  With working from home, I have been there for first words, first steps, first teeth and everything else.  Even with incorporating in-house help, I have still been there for it all.

# 5 – Best of all… Lunch!
With working from home, you don’t have to worry about not eating Greek or garlicky Italian food or anything else that you desire for your lunch break.   

Bottom line…  You have options.
 
Thirty years ago, home computers weren’t that common.  Home offices often consisted of bookshelves, a writing desk and a telephone.  Now, home offices can connect you with the rest of the world at the touch of a button.  So, surround the virtual wagons and set up your wireless connection. With the empowerment of technology, innovation and flexibility, working virtually allows you to remain close-to-home and have a global impact. Don’t allow yourself to be encumbered by the past…  Break new ground and grant yourself permission to be a virtual pioneer!    

Patty Benton runs a training program for new entrepreneurs interested in venturing into the virtual assistance industry that is affordable to all, and she has also written an e-book that takes virtual assistants through the process of setting up their business. Visit her coaching site at www.virtualvacoach.com for program details and great business resources. Additionally, Patty is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants and JERPAT Web Designs, www.moretime4u.org, which provides affordable administrative and web design support to coaches, small businesses, religious organizations, and more. She has also partnered to establish the ministry Acknowledging Christ Together at Work www.actatwork.com and is co-owner of Virtual Business Group www.virtualbizgroup.com an online networking organization for Virtual Professionals.
 

I follow The Blog Squad (Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff). Today’s email from them was about social networking. They’re holding a teleseminar this Wednesday (4/23) on how to use Web 2.0 and social networking sites to get more traffic and grow your business. You can register for the teleseminar here.

And here’s an article Dense and Patsi shared about social networking you’re going to want to read!

Social Networking - What Is It And Why Your Business Needs It
by Michele PW

Social networking. Social marketing. Web 2.0.

You may have heard these terms bandied about and wondered what exactly they are and (more importantly) what they mean for your business.

So let’s dig right in and get some answers. First, some definitions.

Social networking is actually a pretty broad term. It basically means any type of relationship-building amongst a group of people with a common interest (business or personal). However, that term has taken on a whole new dimension online, where social networking sites (MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook) are popping up faster than you can say “Will you be my friend?”

These Web sites are designed around helping people network and build relationships via online, instead of the more traditional face-to-face networking meetings.

Which leads us to Web 2.0. No, it’s not a technical upgrade of the Web (I can hear all the sighs of relief as people everywhere realize they don’t need to be downloading or learning new software). Rather, it’s a new way to use the technical aspects of the Web to build better relationships with people. So it includes blogging, podcasts, social networking sites, video, webinars, etc.

Actually, what it really is is a shift in mindset. Rather than using these tools because they’re cool new tech gadgets, we’re using them to bring a more human element to the Web.

Now social marketing is used interchangeably as social networking, but that’s actually a misnomer (according to Wikipedia). Social marketing is an old term, which refers to marketing for the good of society or for social causes and has nothing to do with any of this.

So, back to social networking. This is wonderful news for business owners out there because it fits right in with how customers buy. Namely, people buy from people they know, like and trust. So building relationships using Web 2.0 techniques is a fabulous marketing strategy.

And many Web 2.0 techniques are either free or very low cost. All the social networking sites have free accounts (some have paid upgrades, but it’s still low). Podcasting can be free (or you can pay a very low fee to do the recording via the phone). Blogging can be free. You get the picture.

Now there is a downside. The downside is it does take time. So if you’re already feeling overwhelmed and frazzled, yes this could feel like another huge to-do on your list.

Which is why I’m going to tell you right now not to go there. There is help. Virtual assistants (also known as VAs) can assist you with these social networking tasks. Also, some marketing professionals offer social networking packages to do it all for you, so you don’t have to manage it or even learn much about it. In other words, you don’t have to go at it alone!

And you also don’t have to spend hours and hours on these tasks either. Pick ONE thing to do, then spend 1-2 hours a week on it. Once that’s mastered, then add a second task. (Or get it into a system so you can outsource it and then bring on a second task.)

Obviously the more time you (or someone on your team) can devote to social networking, the faster you’ll see results. But I don’t want you to beat yourself up if you don’t have a lot of time to do it or money to outsource. Do what you can and let the rest go.

The other thing to keep in mind is it also takes time to start seeing results. None of these techniques is for immediate results or a quick infusion of cash. These techniques are long-term strategies. They’re very effective, but they’ll take some time.

As for what to start on first, that’s up to you and what appeals to you (and what you think will appeal to your target market) but I’ll give you a quick summary of a couple of the major ones along with pros and cons:

1. Blogging.

Pros — This is a terrific way to build traffic to your site. My blog gets a tremendous amount of traffic and much of that spills over to the rest of my site. Plus, I have a Wordpress blog, so it’s built into my Web site and it comes with RSS and pinging and everything else a good blog should. (Did I mention it was free?)

Cons — You need to do some writing. And it does take time. (Either yours or someone on your team.) You should plan to post at least a couple of times a month — more is better.

2. Podcasting. (Podcasting is like having your own little radio show, except the audio is downloaded into an iPod rather than broadcasted.)

Pros — This is a terrific way to add credibility and build trust with your customers. Audio, especially when listened to on a podcast, is very intimate. You end up building a tighter bond with your customers than through reading alone. Adding audio to Web sites has been shown to increase conversion rates. (I.e. more people will buy when there’s audio involved.)

Cons — Time (you got to make time to do your podcast, and once you start, you need to do it regularly). This is also a bit more technical than blogging — you need to upload it to your site, to podcast directories, etc. Unless technology comes really easy for you, I would suggest finding someone to help you out (at least to get you started). And if you have a really dreadful voice I would think twice about doing a podcast.

3. Video.

Pros — Like audio, adding video to your site is great for increasing conversion rates. It adds a level of intimacy and helps your customers feel like they really know you.

Cons — Technical and time. For audio, all you need is a phone. Video you need a camera, a video editor, etc. Of course, once it’s done, you can use it in a lot of places, but getting it done may feel overwhelming. [Note from Glenda: Video is EASY now with the Commercial Creation Center found at AroundLancasterCounty.com! Check out the free trial until May 1!]

4. Social networking sites. This is fast becoming a great way to find customers, form relationships and drive traffic to your site. However, before you dive into this, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, there are some 200 social networking sites out there and I’m sure that number continues to grow. But, MySpace enjoys a whopping 80 percent of that traffic. So it only makes sense that 80 percent of the time you’re devoting to social networking sites should be devoted to MySpace.

And don’t think MySpace is just for kids! I’ve only been playing around with it for a couple of weeks and I’ve already made some pretty good connections, plus I’ve noticed a spike in my traffic and sign-ups for my newsletter. My friend Nancy has as great primer on how to use MySpace for business purposes.

The other two social networking sites I’m on are LinkedIn.com and Ryze.com. What I like about those two is they’re more focused on business, plus they don’t take a lot of time (so they fit nicely in the 20 percent of my time for the other sites). MySpace can be a time sucker, so just be aware of that.

Pros — Great for building relationships and appears to be good at driving Web traffic.

Cons — Takes time (Sensing a pattern here?) Also it’s very easy to waste a lot of time on MySpace as well.

My suggestion is to pick one of these techniques to start with, do it for awhile and see what happens. If you start seeing leads and results, stick with it and maybe add another one. If it looks like it’s not worth it (takes too much time and you’re seeing too few results) try another.

Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting, marketing communications and creativity agency. She helps people become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.michelepw.com. Copyright 2008 Michele Pariza Wacek

Listen to a recent segment about virtual assistants on the Today Show.

Would you like to learn how to Manage Your Time?

Whether you’re transitioning from your full-time corporate job while juggling a part-time VA practice, or diving into your practice full-time, managing your business and family time can be a challenge to say the least.  Join IVAA past-president, Jeannine Clontz, in considering a new approach to managing your time.  You’ll take away key elements to make your day more manageable, learn how to recognize what times during the day are your most productive, how to take advantage of your availabilities throughout the day or week and setup a system that works for YOU!

Would you like to learn how to Write More Effectively?

Veteran wordsmith, Lauren Hidden, shares her copywriting process to help you boost your professional profile and bottom line. Using these time-tested techniques, Lauren and her clients have received local, national, and internet press coverage, large sales orders, and the attraction of bigger and better clients.

Would you like to learn how to Set Goals?

Sharon Williams knows that everyone sets goals – but have you identified your ultimate goal, the one you strive to accomplish over a significant period of time and the action steps to realize it? Join Sharon as she explores ways to identify and achieve what you really want out of life.

Would you like to learn how to Get People To Read And Comment On Your Blog?

Cristina Favreau specializes in helping passionate & motivated professionals in the service industry who love what they do, but struggle with running & marketing their business. Discover simple ways to gain visibility, credibility & get more clients.

Would you like to earn income performing Digital Transcription?

Andrea Cannavina will show you how to jump start your practice by learning the processes, equipment and security issues you need to consider in order to offer digital transcription services over the internet. 

Would you like to learn how to add Podcasting to your website?

Andrea Kalli will show you why virtual assistants should offer podcasting services to their clients.

This is only a sampling of what you can learn at the IVAA 2nd Annual Online Summit coming this Friday!  Even if you cannot attend…full recordings of over 24 hours of learning will be available.

Date:   Friday, October 19th

Time:   8:00 am – 8:00 pm EST (multiple sessions running at once throughout the day)

Who:   Any Virtual Assistant or professional wanting to learn!

Cost:    $60.00 per person for an ALL DAY PASS (IVAA members)

            $75.00 per person for an ALL DAY PASS (non-IVAA members)

            (Please note all dollar amounts are in U.S. Dollars)  All Costs Include Full Access To Recordings Following The Event (for at least 30 days)

How to Register:  Visit http://www.VASummit.org to register and view the complete Summit Program schedule and Presenter bios. 

Whether you are thinking about becoming a VA, have recently opened your VA practice, are a seasoned professional, or are thinking about utilizing the services of a VA for your business the 2nd Annual Online Summit offers 12 hours of invaluable information and training for everyone!

Won’t you join us for an amazing day of education, networking, and fun?  (Remember…even if you are busy on October 19th and cannot attend, you will have access to presentation recordings for at least 30 days.  You can log on and listen to them at your leisure.)

Visit http://www.VASummit.org  to register today!

(Lincoln, NE)—Podcasting is taking the Internet by storm, and women worldwide are seizing microphones and creating their own internet broadcasts covering a wide range of topics. Many of them will converge next weekend in virtual, audio visual web conference rooms and exhibitor booths and share their favorite subjects with interested ladies from around the world.

The Business Podcasting Expo, set for January 19-21, has already attracted an impressive and diverse lineup of speakers and exhibitors, according to Glenda Hinz, member of Co-OpWorld, co-sponsor for this live, interactive Internet event.

“All are invited to register at here” says Hinz. “Simply explore the website and view the schedule of events and activities. They do not have to be familiar with or even interested in podcasting.”

There are interactive exhibits, online shopping and networking events galore, plus three free seminars open to the public. There will also be ongoing podcasts taking place in the “Studio Livecast” room around the clock to which everyone is invited.

Main feature online seminars, covering topics about podcasting, will be held in Co-OpWorld’s audio-visual VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) web conference rooms. Attendees who purchase a $49.95 ticket may access all of the events and may download all of the seminar recordings following the event.

Hinz said, “To get maximum benefit from the Expo, Internet access, a PC or Macintosh, speakers or a headset, and a microphone are needed.

“I have personally enjoyed participating in many Co-OpWorld sponsored web conferences, and I didn’t have to be a computer ‘techie’ to get set up the first time.”

“The three free seminars will close once the room capacity of five hundred is reached, so register free of charge early,” Hinz added.

There’s an email rumor going around describing a new scam in which crooks rob you of your gift card balance. If you buy Gift Cards from a display rack that has various store cards you may become a victim of theft. Crooks are now jotting down the card numbers in the store and then wait a few days and call to see how much of a balance THEY have on the card. Once they find the card is “activated,” they go online and start shopping. You may want to purchase your card from a customer service person, where they do not have the Gift Cards viewable to the public.

An even better idea…buy and send your gift cards through your SendOutCards account and never have to worry about this! Don’t have an account yet? Click here to set up a gift account and try it out!

 

If you missed the Women’s Podcasting Expo back in July, don’t worry…the event was recorded and you can purchase the download or CDs by clicking on the banner above. Even if you attended the event, it’s a good resource to have on hand. I received my CD last week and it contains lots of great information! 

 

Women from around the world will meet online at our
Virtual Podcasting Expo site to: 

• Learn about podcasting
• Attend woman-focused seminars
• Network
• Podcast
• SHOP!

All you need is:

1. an internet connection to attend,
2. speakers to listen in, and
3. a microphone to participate verbally.
4. You also have the option to text chat!

Take a 6-minute video tour of the Expo here…

Anyone in the world can browse the booths, participate in live recordings, chat with people from all over the world, and see unique products and gifts for women.

Each Exhibitor Booth includes a 10-person audio conference room, with recording capabilities and the ability to show everyone the same screen at the same time. This makes it easy to talk to attendees in real time, and give them web tours and do presentations. Our Lobby, Podcasting Booth and Main Seminars are held in identical, but larger audio conference rooms. Best of all, Exhibitors get to keep a 3-person audio conference room for 3 months after the Expo ends!

An Admission Ticket is only required for Seminars and Networking Events, but one ticket gives you unlimited access not only to ALL Seminar and Networking Events, but ALSO to ALL recordings! There will be two Main Seminar Tracks: Podcasting Seminars and Women’s Seminars.

The Podcasting Seminars are intended for beginners, as well as more advanced podcasters. Topics will range from “What Is A Podcast?” and “How Do I Create A Podcast?” to “How Do I Attract More Listeners” and “Advanced Editing Tricks.”

The Women’s Seminars will cover various topics of interest to women, from “Mind, Body & Spirit” to “Business,” “Home and Family,” “Entertainment, Training and Coaching,” and much more.

Admission Tickets also come with:

• A Free Multi-Media Podcasting Handbook
• A Free Recording and Editing Program
• An Opportunity to win door prizes and giveaways
• And we record each Seminar, so even if you miss one, you can download the audio/video recording later.

Find out more about becoming a sponsor, exhibitor or attending…

Copyright 2006 Titus Hoskins

Internet or e-mail fax services are becoming very popular with the computer savvy public. The ability to receive and send faxes whenever and wherever you access you e-mail has proven too irresistible for many fax users to ignore.

It’s an offer they couldn’t refuse. Can you blame them?

No more paper-jams, no more bulky fax machines, no more messy inks, no more busy signals, no more extra phone lines, no more return trips to the office at 10 o’clock at night to retrieve that important fax.

Internet fax is easy, mobile, convenient, accessible and very compatible with most of today’s and tomorrow’s computer gizmos and gadgets. From cell phones to BlackBerries to ultraportable notebook computers, e-mail fax services will work with all of these contraptions.

Besides, almost every aspect of doing business in our brick and mortar world has been transferred onto the Internet. Faxing services are no different. However, using an Internet fax service has some distinct advantages over the old fashion fax machine/service; mainly the ability to access your faxes anywhere, anytime. This mobility is a big plus for both mobile professionals and ordinary fax users. Being completely connected in a wired world can give any business or company a competitive edge.

But there are so many Internet Fax services to choose from, each with its own features and pricing structures, so just which Internet fax service is right for you?

The answer will mainly depend on your own faxing needs or requirements. How much faxing do you plan to do? What types of faxing services do you need? Will you be only receiving faxes? Will you be only sending faxes? Will you need both functions? Will you need a fax broadcasting service?

Perhaps, the first question you have to ask yourself? Do you need Internet fax at all? Some people like to keep their businesses 9 to 5, weekdays only, please don’t bother me after working hours or on the weekend. If you want your faxing strictly confined to your office, during office hours on your old fax machine, then Internet fax is probably not for you!

On the other hand, if you want your business or company to be able to receive and send faxes 24/7/365 days of the year, then you should check out the different Internet faxing services.

There are many Internet fax services available to the consumer. Some of the better known ones are MyFax, eFax, Send2Fax and TrustFax. All these e-mail fax services have different plans and features. They also have different rates and fees, so it pays to shop around and check out each before you sign-up to any one fax provider.

Each Fax Service provider has slightly different ways of sending and receiving faxes. They all use e-mail and the Internet. Some have a free desktop application download that sits on your desktop. Most can be used with Windows Outlook and Windows Office. Most or all have a Web Interface, online web site where you can access your Internet fax account to send or check your faxes. Most also provide storage space if you wish to keep your faxes online.

Almost all are completely flexible and scalable to meet all corporate faxing requirements. They can be customized to any size organization or business. Fax broadcasting, where you send a fax to a large numbers of recipients is offered by most online fax services including the ones mentioned here.

And obviously, all supply you with a local or toll-free fax number.

What Internet Fax service is right for you depends mainly on your own personal needs. Are your faxing needs very minimum or do you do a lot of faxing? The answer will usually determine which faxing service you go with. Of course, you must also check out customer support, service reliability and the overall quality of the fax service you are signing up for. But you knew that!

If you just want to ONLY receive faxes, eFax will provide you with a free account where you can receive up to 20 free faxes a month. But be warned, you will have to upgrade to a paid service if you want to send faxes. The charge is minimal but they can quickly add up, so keep a close check on how many faxes you send each month. You should also be aware that each of these services charges higher rates to send international faxes; domestic faxes are cheaper.

Another fax service you should check out if your faxing needs are light, Send2Fax Prepaid charges you $0.15 for every fax and a $20 deposit along with a very low $1.95 monthly fee. They also have a plan if you only send faxes - Send2Fax Broadcast is a send-only account at $0.06 per sent page and a $1.95 per month fee. TrustFax has a Power User plan for $19.95 per YEAR with 70 Free Fax Pages (Incoming AND Outgoing) and 15 MB online storage for your faxes.

If your faxing needs are a little heavier you could try MyFax, it has great customer support and is only $10 a month which includes 100 sent and 200 received faxes. No setup fees, no hidden charges and it also informs you how
much each of your faxes cost.

Which one should you choose?

It’s always a good idea to try before you buy. Many of these Internet fax services have free one month trials. Some services such as MyFax and TrustFax have online demos which you can use to see what your faxes will look like. You can Test Drive their faxing systems before you buy.

If you check online, MyFax has garnered top customer or user ratings in such sites as Microsoft Office Marketplace, PC Magazine and on Fax forums. It provides good quality service for a very reasonable price. Not to be outdone,
eFax is extremely popular with over 9,000,000 users and that must count for something. TrustFax and Send2Fax also come highly rated.

But make up your Own Mind!

There are many more Internet faxing services on the web. You will have plenty of other services to choose from. Just make sure you have an Internet fax service that meets all your faxing needs and you won’t be disappointed. Whether you’re running a small home office or a large multi-national company, there’s probably an online faxing service that will meet your needs.

About the Author:
For more information on Internet Fax Services try this handy online Guide.
Titus Hoskins ©2006. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Or mail a package? Or get back to your office and find out you didn’t purchase the right combination of stamps? Or you run out of stamps after hours or on the weekend?

Why not give Stamps.com a try? This service allows you to print official USPS postage directly from your PC and printer without any special hardware. Think of it as a bank account for postage. The postage you print will be deducted from your Stamps.com account and no surcharge is incurred.

You can print stamps (now with your own photos, if you want!). Or shipping labels. Or print directly on envelopes to create professional looking mail. You can add insurance to valuable packages and confirm that your mail was received.

Since one of my services is client mailings, I find that Stamps.com saves me from having to keep lots of different types of stamps on hand ($.37, $.23, $.83). Seems like I was always missing one particular stamp and then would have to go to the post office, stand in line to get more, then affix the stamps. What a time savings Stamps.com is for me! Everything can be prepared in my office and dropped at the post office or in a mail box and that’s it!

Stamps.com interfaces with Outlook so if you have addresses stored in your Outlook Contacts, it will print right from that. You can also track postage used by client. And lots of other things. Give it a try!