Virtual Communities

In our virtual world today it only makes sense that we have a virtual community. An online community where a group of people primarily interact via communication media such as email, instant chat or online forums or chat rooms rather than face to face. These communities exist for many different reasons, for social, professional, educational or other purposes.

Here are some of the types of activities that virtual communities support through online connections.

• Networking-One such networking group for virtual professionals is VANA ,a place where questions are asked and answered, topics discussed as well as the much needed social and lighthearted conversations take place.
• Socialize–There are virtual communities where you can meet new people, share stories and jokes. Communities like this often focus around bulletin boards and chat rooms. Tagged is an example of a social networking site.
• Special Interests-Virtual communities are helpful to people who share interests in issues and causes. Support groups are available for people dealing with certain diseases or even causes such as politics or the environment. Facebook is an example of a social utility that connects people with similar interests.

Virtual communities have several advantages over the traditional. Race, gender, age, and physical appearance are not important. Consider that people who have physical challenges that would otherwise make it difficult to not only venture out but form new friendships find that virtual communities treat them as they always wanted to be treated. In a virtual community we can go directly to the place where our particular interests are being discussed and exchange our ideas with those who share our same feelings. Virtual communities are an effective to learn, meet new people and broaden horizons.

Time Management For Small Business

Have you ever looked at your clock only to see that it is the end of the day, but panic because you still have a ton of work to do? Do you feel the need to be more organized and/or more productive? Do you find it hard to fit all the tasks you need to do into your day? If so you may need some help with your time management skills, especially if you run a small business. As a small business owner you probably find yourself doing many different jobs throughout the day. By having good time management skills, you can increase your productivity and save your sanity!

First step: evaulate where you you're wasting time. This may not be as easy as it sounds, but look at what is the most time consuming task. It may be constant interuptions, or having to put out fires all day, perhaps it is emails or adminstrative work that is taking your productivity.

Set specific goals. Once you have determinded what is wasting your time, set a goal to correct it. Just do one at a time, for example: one week delegate someone to handle pressing issues if not just for a few hours so you can have some quiet work time.

Take advantage of time management tools. There are many free tools out there that can help. It can be as simple as using a day timer or a web based time management program.

Delegate and/or outsource. While for some people this may be difficult at first, in the long run the time you save is enormous. You may have reservations, you may think 'only I can do this task correctly' or 'it will take to long to explain, it will be easier to do it myself' but by outsourcing you will find that when you have more time to spend on growing the business, your billable hours go up, and of course you can come up for air!

Time management is not learned overnight, it takes time to find a rhythum that works for you. If you do decide you need assistance, let us help! We can work with you and help carry your load. If you are successfull, so are we.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Conference Calls

In today’s virtual world, conference calls are crucial. They are meetings hosted via telephone to conduct seminars, discuss developments in a business, or collaborate on a group project. Even though you are not physically at the meeting, there is still an etiquette you should follow to help create a proper conference call setting.
Have an outline or agenda in advance to follow so that the discussion is managed in an organized manner. Nothing is worse than forgetting important topics or rambling on about issues that are not important.

Make sure your telephone and/or computer microphone equipment should be in proper working order. It is always a good idea to test the equipment prior to the meeting and listen for any background noises, clicking sounds, or vibrating sounds. If you are using a telephone, make sure your call waiting is turned off.

Now, the things that you should never do!

• Avoid eating and drinking while on the call. No one wants to hear you eat your snack!
• Don't assume everyone recognizes your voice. This is especially important for large conference calls, announce yourself before speaking.
• Unless it is an absolutely necessary, do not push the mute button. Many business phones will start playing music when you push mute, so if your phone does this, avoid pushing mute.

Rule of thumb is that you should behave as though you are actually attending a meeting. Approach the situation professionally, take notes and participate!

The Virtues Of Going Virtual

With the economy the way it is now you may be considering turning your physical office into a virtual one. Whether you are considering this option for financial reasons or even for convenience, many people consider the pros and cons of moving to a completely virtual office setup but aren’t sure whether it is right for them. You have questions, we have answers!

What is a virtual office?
A virtual office is simply a business that is run from a location different from the traditional rented or owned office space with traditional employees. A virtual office can be a home office or several offices across the country or even the world! A virtual office can give your business a large scale presence for a fraction of the cost of a traditional office.

How a virtual office can work for you?
There are many reasons why using a virtual office service can be a huge benefit to you and your business. Virtual office services are useful to a range of businesses. Be it a new venture, or a temporary expansion of office resources, there are many situations where your business could benefit from our virtual office services.

•Reduced costs. With a virtual office you don’t need to worry about rent, utilities and all the overhead associated with traditional office space and employee costs like taxes and insurance and holiday pay

•Having every call answered professionally leaving you to concentrate on your business

•Your business will benefit from the latest technology without you ever spending a penny on new equipment or software

•Never having to worry about staff members that call in sick, quit or miss deadlines

There are several services that we offer that can take your business to the next level. Using a virtual assistant to run your virtual office is not just a buzz word or trend, it is smart and makes financial sense. Let us help you make the transition today!

Getting Organized In 2008 (With The Help of A Virtual Assistant)

Happy New Year! The New Year symbolizes a new beginning and like most people you may have set forth new goals for your business this year. Getting organized typically ranks extremely high on the list. Unfortunately many people who set forth this goal at the first of the year find themselves in the same disorganized mess come spring.

Even though the good intention was there, not implementing such an important aspect as organization can cause serious problems and result in lost business because your forgot an appointment, phone number or didn’t have time to properly research a potential client. Organization can sometimes be undervalued, but in the end is the backbone of any successful company.

Getting organized can be difficult, especially with the explosion of emails and digital media and files and so much to do and so little time! The good news is you don’t have to do it yourself, use a virtual assistant to get you on track. Here are just a few ways:

1. Email Management. There are several ways a Virtual Assistant can manage emails for you. Consider how much time you will be saving, in addition you won’t have to worry about missing an important email again.

2. Client Management. A Virtual Assistant can create a master database that contains all the important information of every one of your clients. From birthdays to account information, this list can be updated easily accessible for all staff.

3. Appointment Setting/Organization & Reminder Services. We know your days are packed and can get very hectic. A Virtual Assistant can organize your daily schedule, make appointments, follow up calls and anything else you need to make your day run smoothly. Need a reminder on important appointments? No problem, we can do that too!

These are just a few of the many services we offer that can help you get organized and focus on growing your business. Don’t put it off another day!