Touching on Facebook, and LinkedIn for that matter, I recently installed a useful add-on to Outlook called the Social Connector. It will show you what people have been saying in both Facebook and LinkedIn, while using the program Outlook. I wasn't sure at first how useful it might be and had to play around with where to have it set up in Outlook so it's not using up valuable real estate on my screen. I now only have it showing when I'm reading individual emails and responding to them. It has … [Read more...]
You can’t build it 100% online
I know I'm going to get people arguing with me on this one but hear me out. If you're running a Virtual Assistant business then you are servicing clients who need your help. Those clients come from all walks of life and not all of them live on the internet as many VAs do (me included). So, to get in front of them we have to go out and meet them. That means doing face-to-face networking and meeting people in person. Yes, we have the avenues of the internet, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, … [Read more...]
Looking for a mail list option to run on my server
I currently run my site on Wordpress with Wishlist installed to manage members of my network. I want to bring onto my site a suitable mail list option for my members to use, instead of an external service. This is what I perceive is needed: Messages to be archived so that members can view past messages at any time they login Messages can be sent from any member to entire list via email (as in yahoogroups) Multiple lists able to be set up for smaller groups (as can be done in … [Read more...]
Forum Etiquette
One of the VA groups I belong to was discussing limiting sales pitches to seminars or webinars and how did members feel about it? My response was: I think that people who come along to promote/sell something at a list that doesn't belong to them are being presumptous. I have a problem with it personally. You spend time building a list and then they come along and think it's their right to pitch to that list - without having anything to do with building it in the first place. My own opinion and … [Read more...]
Using networking tools for VAs
At one of the VA forums I belong to a member asked if someone could explain how a small home transcription business can grow their business using Facebook, Linked-in or Twitter or is it more for the merchant business? My answer was brief - there's a lot to cover for each of these tools, but hopefully this will help answer it for others thinking the same thing. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter work quite differently but often with similar results. I'll try to explain briefly here: Facebook helps … [Read more...]
Practical Advice for Social Networking
I get a regular enewsletter called Speakernet News. As a Virtual Assistant for Professional Speakers I like to keep abreast of what's happening in their industry. The following came from their most recent newsletter and I sought permission from the author to republish it here. The article makes really good valid points about using Social Networks and setting up profiles. Social network tips - RJ Garis There is no point in having a MySpace, Facebook or any other profile unless you are going … [Read more...]
Do you produce a newsletter?
I do. I have been since the second year of my business. That means I've been producing a newsletter for around 14 years now on a monthly basis. I missed a few months here and there in the early days but it has been monthly for quite some time now. In the early days, it was printed and posted and I would periodically hear from people who had a copy passed on to them from the recipient. That was always nice to hear. I would sometimes use a guest writer for the main article but mostly I've … [Read more...]
Should a Virtual Assistant Network For a Client?
I saw an interesting article today titled "Take Advantage of Social Networking with a Virtual Assistant" so of course I went and read it straight away. I have very firm ideas about what a VA should and shouldn't do for a client and networking is one of those things I don't believe we should be doing. I agree we can set up profiles for clients and hold their hand and help them through the process of learning to use tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others but I strongly believe we … [Read more...]
Networking is not ‘set and forget’
A recent conversation with a client set me thinking. In fact I'd had a similar discussion with another client not much earlier. They both wanted accounts set up at various social networking tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc and have everything automated (rss feed from blogs, automatic responses, etc) so that they could literally 'set and forget' the very tools they needed for networking. This isn't the first time this subject has been raised - I've had others ask too, thinking … [Read more...]