Great Virtual Assistant Tools

Merry Christmas! Here are a few free "gifts" to enjoy and make your VA life a little bit easier.

I have recently found a tool that has helped me explain myself more effectively. It is called Jing.

Jing records what you are doing on your screen and it also records what you are saying. This allows you to show people what you mean when you say, "Move this here."

Another new thing I found online is 30Boxes. This is an online calendar, a lot like Google Calendar, but even better. You can do all the regular calendar things, but you can also add it to your website, personalize it and so much more.

One last little thing I found lately was a free talking head at Bravenet. These talking SitePals are a great way to tell your website visitors about new services, products, or sales.

Give the Gift of a Virtual Assistant

Recently a client of mine "gave me" as a gift to a charity that helps children in Africa. I thought this was an amazing thing to do.

Are you tired of giving gifts that just sit around collecting dust? Do you want to give a gift that really helps someone out? Do you have a friend or family member that needs help with their busy life or business? Why not "buy" them a virtual assistant as your gift this holiday? You could purchase one hour from us for only $25.00 to get them started or you could give them 5 hours for only $112.50.

If you know of an organization that needs some extra help, you could give some hours to them in the name of your family or friends. This way you know that your investment in the organization is going to good use and will have the satisfaction of helping those in need.

I am sure that whoever you give a virtual assistant to will thank you for this gift that will "keep on giving".

Can't Believe It's Been So Long!

I looked at my blog for the first time in quite a while and realized that I hadn't posted in months.

It has been a busy summer. Not only has my virtual assistant practice been busy, but my wife and I have opened a drop-in centre for local youth (http://thepostdrop-in.blogspot.com). With all of this and home-schooling, I haven't had the time to post.

I am making a resolution to post at least once a week, so keep coming back.

Scams are Everywhere!

I recently responded to an ad in the local paper to conduct research survey from home. I went to the compny's website and filled out the form for more information. A few days later, I received an envelope in the mail from this company. Inside was a bank draft for $2,500.00, a letter explaining what to do with the bank draft and a customer survey to complete and send back.

I was supposed to cash the bank draft and go to my local Western Union office and send $2,100.00 to a certain person in Ontario and keep $200.00 for myself and pay the fees to Western Union. The first thing I noticed in the letter was that Western Union was miscapitalized in various ways throughout the letter. Then I noticed that the corporate logos at the bottom of the letter, from companies they supposedly have done reseaarch for, were all a little bit off. They looked real at first glance but when you looked closer, they were obvious fakes. My proofreading skills actually saved me from falling for this nasty scam.

I contacted the police and found out that a lot of local people had applied for this job and got the same response. One person actually cashed the bank draft and will be liable to the bank for $2500.00. These bank drafts are FAKE. They will get by the local teller, but when they get to the sorting office, they are found to be counterfeit and sent back.

The good news is that I did not cash the bank draft. I contacted the local television news department and they came and interviewed me today. I just don't want anyone else to fall for this scam. It comes in many different business names, but if you receive a bank draft or cheque in the mail and are asked to send some of it back, DO NOT CASH IT!

Page 1 on Google - "Virtual Assistant Services"

I have finally made it to the first page of Google. If you search for "virtual assistant services" my website is at the bottom of the first page. This has taken a year of hard work, but it is worth it.

How did I do it? I didn't pay anyone to help me, but I did put out numerous press releases and quite a few articles. I added my site to many directories and joined a bunch of social networking sites. I used keyword and website optimization software to help me decide how my site should be designed and what words were the best to draw people to my site.

It does take a lot of work, but you can do it to. If you need some help, hire a VA to give you a hand.