I opened my email the other day and noticed all the usual spam, which is better than 50% of my incoming mail, and I had an unusual one from someone I have never received an email from previously.  I recognized the name as someone I am familiar with but wondered what they could possibly be writing to me about.  Turns out it was just a link in the message, and no real message or even a subject.  Right off the bat I knew this person had had their email account hacked.  I’ve seen it happen too many times.  Unfortunately this scenario is a very sad reality today.  So what can you do about it?  I’ve made a list below of things you can do to regain control of your email and your sanity.

1. If you still have access to your account change the password immediately.  I hate to harp on this one, but it is super important that you change your password frequently and make it as strong as you can with a minimum of 14 alphanumeric characters.  I know some of you think this may be overkill, but I have never had my email account hacked, can you say the same?  I am security conscious to a fault, blame my military training.  I keep a password protected database handy with all my logins and passwords.  I also have that file backed up.  For passwords and ID’s I want to keep really safe and I know I will only ever use at home, I don’t put these in a database but in a notebook I keep in a fireproof box with other important papers.  Yeah, I know, more overkill, but it works for me.
2. If for some reason you can no longer access your email account to change your password, contact your email provider ASAP and they can usually help you get the account back under your control.  I said “usually” because this is not a guarantee, not all email providers are created equally,  and their customer service leaves something to be desired.  At this point you may just have to write this account off and get another, I know it’s a pain but it happens.
3. If you do have access to your account and you have changed your password, send out an email to all of your contacts letting them know your account has been hacked and to beware of suspicious looking emails using your address and not to click on the links in the messages.  Don’t send to your entire contact list at once, you’ll be blocked for trying to send spam.  Try sending to ten at a time.  When you send these emails out put your contacts email addresses in the BCC field and your address in the TO field so as not to expose your contacts addresses to everyone else, respect their privacy, as much as you can anyway.
4. Get serious about security, change your passwords often and don’t tell others what they are.  If you do have a need to divulge your passwords to someone in order for them to do some work for you, let them do what they need to but as soon as they finish, change those passwords.

Once you have done the above, take things a step further, remember I am security conscious.  Try to figure out how you could have been hacked.  Did you use your netbook or iPad at the local coffee shop to access your email on an unsecured WIFI network recently?  If you answered yes, that’s one way it could have happened.  Hackers are always looking for a way in, never underestimate them, this is what they either do for a living or for kicks.

Next thing you should do is run your anti-virus and be sure nothing evil got downloaded to your system or your email client.  Run your anti-malware and system cleaner too if you have those, can’t hurt.

The bottom line here is this – YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL WHEN IT COMES TO SECURING YOUR INFORMATION!  Don’t make a hackers life easier, I live to make it harder for them in any way that I can.  I can think up some pretty strange passwords, yeah I know, I need another form of entertainment.

Selecting someone to design a website is a frustrating and overwhelming task for most small business owners.  I’ve heard stories from clients, aquaintances and friends that would fill anyone with fear when interviewing web designers to design a site for them.  I’d like to share some ideas and tips with you here that can make that process easier and a little less intimidating.

Tip #1 – Ask for samples of a designer’s work, client testimonials and references.  Don’t expect to get a mock up of a site design right off the bat.  Good design takes time and discovery to learn just what it is a client is looking for.  Any time a mock up is done, that’s hours of work.  And what if it isn’t anywhere near what you had in mind?  That designer or team of designers has to recoup that cost somehow.  If you don’t hire them, the expenses are going to be passed on to the next client that does hire them.

Tip #2 – Don’t assume that since a designer has created sites for others within the same industry that they know just what you need since you are in that same industry.  Every business, like every person is unique, don’t settle for a cookie cutter design.  When you are interviewing a designer, they should never make assumptions about what you are looking for.  When I am speaking with a potential client, I have a questionnaire that I like to use, allowing me to learn about the client, their business, what if any problems they want solved with a web site, what information they want to present to visitors and ultimately what their goals are for the site.  While some graphic elements may be similar to those within the same industry, you have you own unique message and needs and you want a designer to address those to your satisfaction.  It’s always a good idea to have a list of what you’d like to have implemented into your site as well as a flexible budget prior to meeting with a designer.  Creating a site that you are happy with is a joint effort.

Tip #3 – Don’t be fooled into thinking that a cheap designer will produce a great website, or that a do-it-yourself option will give you the look and feel you want.  Remember the old adage, “you get what you pay for” and if you go this route with your site, it will be noticed.  Many business owners will have no problems shelling out $500 for a well designed brochure or even a$2,000 to $4,000 or more for various types of advertising, but cringe at the thought of paying similar costs for a website.  Well your website is also part of your brand, the message that some customers will get their first impression of your business from.

Tip #4 – Do trust your instincts.  Not every web site will cost $2,000, some will cost less and some will cost much more.  The bottom line is that you get a website that meets your current needs.  The initial creation costs will be much more than the cost of updating and maintaining the site.  If cost is the most important factor to you, then interview several designers and go with the cheaper one only after you have viewed samples of their work and are comfortable with it.  Review a designers’ portfolio, testimonials and check references, then go with you feel is right for you.

I cannot count the times I have begun to write something I thought might be compelling to anyone who may read this blog.  I write things and save it off to the hard drive and do some research only to find that someone else has written about the topic I found so interesting just a few hours before, and did a much better job of it.  We have all been blessed with certain talents and I am beginning to think writing witty and interesting prose is not one that was bestowed upon me.  Am I envious of those who attract readers through the use of humor, biting criticism, and sometimes downright shocking words?  You bet I am.

Being raised in the South, always being told to be quiet and soft spoken, to be honest, but not so honest that you offend or make others uncomfortable, has been engraved upon my brain.  While this is all sweet and nice, blah blah blah, it has frozen my brain in such a way that I know I have plenty to communicate but just can’t seem to get it out, at least not without possibly offending someone.  Now some may say, just do it, don’t worry about what others think.  While I see some logic and a certain appeal in that line of thinking, I am reminded of what was once again drilled into my brain while attending web design classes at a local community college; that is if you put it out there (on the internet) it is there forever for anyone to see.  Well some may not care but this Southern girl does.  I want to attract a certain type of client, and I also may need to get a “real job” again one day (like this job isn’t real – I work harder and longer hours than I ever have in any corporate job and in most instance receive no compensation for work that encompasses at least 14 hours most every day.)

So I push on, I research, I hunt, I read, I study all in the hopes of becoming a more creative writer, one who will be able to attract readers who may say something positive about my meager attempts to craft a work of art with the written word.  I try to squeeze this in between getting my son off to school, doing the dishes, laundry, all the lovely Susie homemaker type duties, remembering to call my husband just to check in and let him know I’m thinking of him so he doesn’t feel neglected, taking the vehicles in for servicing, volunteering in my community, walking the dog, working on a client project, doing the dreaded bookkeeping, trying to get tax paperwork in order to bring to the accountant, making endless phone calls to various companies or persons who could care less about what I want or need as long as they get what they want or need and all the while trying to remember that my mother raised me to be polite and courteous and to not offend!  I’ll let you know how that goes after I’ve gotten that long list of things I have to do out of the way.  Maybe something will happen today that  will inspire me enough that I’ll want to write about it.  One can hope.

So now, off I go seeking inspiration.

The industry was formalized in 1999, Virtual Assistants have been making news for more than 10 years now. Talented and creative individuals have hung out their shingle offering their top notch skills to anyone who may require their services. You can be a teacher, an author, a student, an entrepreneur, a retired executive or maybe your busy family needs help with a few administrative or computer related task several times a month, the list is endless. You don’t have to be in business, you just have to have the need for services you don’t know how to accomplish yourself or simply don’t have time for. A package of services can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

I put together this brief video to explain a little more. Enjoy!

That really depends on what you need done.   With the technology available to us now days, a VA can assist anyone with just about anything they need done in the administrative realm of things, and for those tasks they can’t tackle personally the probability is high they know someone who can.   Administrative support is primary to most VA’s, but not by a long shot is that the only talent they possess.  Most individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses all have the need for administrative and creative services of some sort at one time or another, and in some instances on an ongoing basis.  For the situation where you need help with a special project, vacation coverage, or just a bit of help from time to time, working with a VA is the solution you need.

A virtual assistant is someone who takes pride in the skills and abilities they have acquired through years of working for corporations or organizations of diverse backgrounds and specialties.  If you are just starting out, what better solution?  Consider all the myriad tasks ahead of you when you are getting started in business, or if you have gotten so busy, you wish you could split yourself in two.  Yeah, sounds stressful doesn’t it?  It is, but if you are smart, take the pressure off, save some time and money, let a virtual assistant help you to outline your gameplan and put it into action.

Did you know that a VA can:

• coordinate your projects
• arrange your travel
• help you find resources to publish that book  you’ve just written
• publish and maintain a website or blog
• set up a Facebook page to promote your business
• set up and maintain Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo or other social media accounts

And this is just a short list of the talent you can take advantage of.  So what are you waiting for?

I  do lots of internet research and the general consensus out there is that you have to have a blog today if you want to develop a web “presence”.   I am so hooked on WordPress that I am offering to create a simple theme (I have software that allows me to create themes) and setup a WordPress site/blog for the lucky 100th fan of my “Versatile Virtual Assistant” fan page in Facebook.  You can find the link over to the right, second tab, it’ll take you right to it.

More and more individuals and companies are turning to WordPress for blogging and content management.  I know everyone has their preferences, but frankly this system just rocks.  It’s user friendly, small learning curve, even for beginners, some tech savvy is helpful of course.  But I am slowly teaching the system to my nine year old.  And there is a plugin for just about anything you can imagine, that can make WordPress do just about anything you can imagine.  You can tweak this system in so many different ways with the variety of plugins out there, and a well built theme helps as well.  The WordPress community is lively and thriving.  Developers are continually adding plugins, themes, tweaks, etc.  WordPress is built to be SEO friendly, Adsense compatible and just really convenient from a web design standpoint.

So what are you waiting for?  Become a fan and win a blog design or makeover.

Just because you’ve had to do some downsizing of staff doesn’t mean the workload has downsized, if anything it may have increased.  But What’s a manager, owner or CEO to do? There is hope and a virtual assistant can be a very viable solution.

With increasing numbers entrepreneurs, small and medium sized companies are partnering with virtual assistants to get the work done.  Outsourcing is not a new concept, it’s just been upgraded.  When you partner with a VA, a competent administrative professional, it is often a far more economical way to leverage your time.  Consider all the time you waste trying to figure out how  to put together a newsletter, or design a web banner; do you even have the proper software in place to do those types of tasks?  If you do, do you know how to use them?  If not, do you have time to mess around trying to figure it out? If you are like most, the answer is no.

As a virtual assistant, I can help in many areas, as I was once an executive assistant and wore many hats.  I can provide marketing and project support, database management, meeting and travel coordination, graphic and web design services.  I also work in collaborative relationships with other VA’s who provide specialty services such as bookkeeping, copywriting and internet marketing support.  I literally have a pool of resources locally and virtually, that I can put to work for you.

Creating a budget is the first critical step of forming a working relationship.  Determining what specific needs you have would come next. From this “discovery” assessment, I can tailor a plan designed to meet the needs you have.  As the relationship grows and we become a more cohesive team, you can decide if there are more responsibilities you’d like for me to take on.

You don’t need to concern yourself with any payroll, benefits, office or equipment needs either, since I work from my own fully equipped office.  What it boils down to is this, you are paying for pure productive time and nothing else, while you get the help you desparately need.

Okay, I’ve never used my blog or any other internet forum to vent, but I just can’t let this one pass.

I am constantly doing research and reading various articles to stay abreast of technology, the Virtual Assistant industry, graphic design trends and many other subjects of interest.  I read many articles that come across via Google alerts.   I have to say, I am not impressed, anyone, SERIOUSLY now, anyone can publish an article on the internet.  And don’t even get me started with the subject of plagiarism.  Really now, how difficult is it to take 15 to 30 minutes out of your schedule to come up with an original thought or idea?  It’s  just plain laziness, not to mention wrong.

I am no expert in the field of journalism, nor have I ever had an article published, however, I do feel I have a fairly good command of the english language and pretty decent grammatical skills.  I excelled in spelling and language arts in school and I also love to read, which I believe has improved my vocabulary considerably, not to mention my knowledge. Learning is a journey, always a surprise, because you never know what lies around the next corner.

In my never ending quest for new ideas and knowledge, I read these articles plastered all over the internet, some good, some not so good.  And here I was, cowering in fear, here in my little home office, about never being able to write anything good enough to publish on the web.  I need not have worried so much, because the examples I am seeing more and more of lately are very poor.

For all you article writers out there, please learn to use a dictionary, thesaurus and a spell checker.  If you want to present yourself as professional and as an expert, have the foresight to do a good job presenting your material to the world.  It’s the least you could do.

That’s just my humble opinion.

As entrepreneurs we must wear many hats.  We are the sales rep, bookkeeper, secretary, manager, and the list goes on and on.  But let’s face it, we all get overwhelmed at some point, we just can’t do it all.  That’s the time when finding a virtual assistant to work with starts to make sense.

Why, you may ask?  Well it should be fairly obvious when you start getting backlogged on administrative tasks, you don’t have enough time to get in front of your clients and do what you do best, and when was the last time you did something with the family?  Yeah it’s time to do something about that.

While not every VA can be all things to everyone, you can decide what you need the most help with and find a VA who specializes in the area you need the most help with.  While lots of VA’s are often generalists, which means they can help with most administrative tasks as well as your internet marketing, or your website design and maintenance, or your bookkeeping, you will also want to make sure you find someone who is a good fit with your personality as well.  Keep in mind that a VA is also a business owner and will more than likely understand very well the challenges you are facing and can even work with you to implement systems to help you become more efficient and productive.  A virtual assistant can also function as an extension of you and your business, making you look more professional all the way around.

One of the first places you should be looking for a virtual assistant is IVAA or the International Virtual Assistants Association at www.ivaa.org.  You can view the member directory or submit an RFP to have the members bid on your particular project.  With the technology available to us today, there aren’t so many things out of reach as there once was.

So what are you waiting for?  That to do list to grow to grotesque proportions, your online presence becoming nonexistent?  You have too much to lose to not give it a try.  Contact me today and I can help you get going in the right direction.

As 2010 approaches I hope that I have grown a little wiser, as most of us do, I am sure.  I have learned many things this last year.  However, one thing that I have not yet learned is to not be afraid of failing.

I’ve read several articles lately with the old adage “don’t be afraid to fail, or “learn from your mistakes”, and the best one, “with risk comes reward”.  I’ve also read something recently which has struck me as very profound;  ”walking away from someone or something means believing for something more or better”.  This is what I think all of us know deep down, but rarely do we have the courage to take action.  I know fear has prevented me from moving forward in many areas of my life.

I’ve never been one to construct a list of resolutions for the new year but I think I will make a concerted effort to not be afraid of failure.  After all, I am learning that sometimes failure can be one of the greatest teachers of all.  I am determined to look at the coming year as one of promise, prosperity and growth, (from lessons I will learn from failing no doubt) and of course more opportunities to learn.  I have heard others say, and I believe that we never stop learning.  I have a dream to learn as much as I can, whenever I can, to become not only a better person but a better Virtual Professional as well.  If Icontinue to pursue my dreams, no doubt I will encounter failure from time to time.  It’s kind of like another old adage, “if it doesn’t kill you, it will only make you stronger”.

Happy New Year to you all, and may you also not be afraid to fail.