Tuesday, May 31, 2011

How to Report Harassment on Facebook

With its million subscribers, Facebook cannot filter all users who join the community daily. They cannot track some hackers or spammers that might harass other users. To protect the security of its members, Facebook has a feature that permits users to block or report someone who has malicious intent or is harassing them.  The following are the Facebook account maintenance tips on how you can report someone to stop this unwanted connection from people you don’t trust.

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. Key in the name of the person that you want to report on the search bar to locate them instantly. Click on their name to go to their profile.

3. Look for the “Report/Block This Person” on the lower left side of the page. It is under the person’s friends list. Click it when found.  

4. From the options provided, click the button beside the action that you would like to take. When you don’t like the profile photo of someone, click on “Inappropriate profile photo”. State your reason by clicking on the given selection.

5. When you find something is wrong in the profile information, select “Inappropriate profile information”. Click the drop down arrow in line with “Choose a type” to show the options.

6. If you are experiencing harassment from a person, just click “My friend is harassing or bullying me”.  Then click the drop down arrow beside the text box below it to choose your reason of taking the action.  

7. When done, click the “Continue” button.

Need some tips on Facebook marketing strategies? Let see how Facebook marketing virtual assistant can help you.

What You Need To Know About A Successful Forum Moderation


Millions of users go to web forums to discuss about their favorite topics and interact with other people. A lot of forums (also known as message boards) out there can tackle a lot of diverse topics and some are dedicated to specific niches. Some receive more traffic than others but some didn’t have much activity. That is mainly based on how forum moderation dictates the pace of how your forum would be successful in the competitive space of the internet.

Forum moderation is simply an action done upon by forum moderators. They are agents who make sure the discussion are flowing effectively without conflicts and are active participants in those forums as well. They help other users’ needs and other technical capabilities. Running a successful forum goes back to the question why you need to do so. If you can answer that question, then it would be easy for you to follow a roadmap to forum moderation success.

Before you start engaging in the conversation, think about your personality if you fit the role. Do you have fair judgment? Can you be a leader? Basically, do you like to interact with people virtually? If you answer “Yes” to all those questions, no doubt you have the essential forum moderator qualities. More than just the qualities are rule of thumb pointers in forum moderation. Here they are:

1. Only edit other peoples posts when necessary. People may be surprised to see what happened to their post when a forum moderator changed it. They may not like intrusion of content as if their post wasn’t good enough.

2. When someone violates a rule, do not explicitly mention the person but subliminally emphasize the content mistake and behavior. It’s just a point of being respectful. If you prefer, you may contact the user and point out the mistake. If the violation is identified as subject to ban, just do what you have to do.

3. Listen to your members and give an immediate reply. How convenient can that be for them? 

4. Follow rules of the forum. No favoritism of some sort. As a forum moderator, you take the lead and be a good example.

5. Get on the same page with your co-moderators. With or without overlapping threads, it’s great to help each other out especially when issues arise.

As you may have noticed, you are being people-centric. People who are provided with a good social environment give much value on forum sites. That is what successful forum moderation as a virtual assistant is all about.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Facebook Account Maintenance - How to Use the SMS Feature of Facebook

Facebook is so addicting that you cannot help yourself from checking its updates time after time. One good thing is that, you can even access Facebook through your mobile phone since it has internet. Facebook has a mobile feature that connects directly to the user’s phone. The convenience of mobile phones allows users to connect with Facebook anytime and anywhere they want. But first, you have to register. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. On the upper right side of the page, click on the “Account” tab. Then select “Account Settings”.

3. Under “My Account”, click on the “Mobile” tab. A note will show introducing the service.

4. Below the note, click on the “Register for Facebook Text Messages”.

5. Choose your country by clicking on the drop down arrow inside the text box in line with “Country”. Then click your country. It will be automatically registered on the “Country” field.

6. Select your carrier by clicking the drop down arrow in line with “Mobile Carrier”. Then click on the “Next” button to proceed.

7. From your mobile phone, type in the capital letter “F” and send it to 3404. A confirmation code will be sent to your phone. After you have received the code, enter it on the text box under number 2.  Then click the “Next” button.

Facebook account maintenance with SMS features can keep you updated and trendy at the same time. People using Facebook for business marketing will find this feature beneficial combined with many other features in Facebook such as fan pages, social plugins and other Facebook APIs. This is the most important thing to consider on how to get the most out of Facebook for business marketing.

SEO Virtual Assistant: Can You Trust Yours?

SEO virtual assistants can be good for the growth of your business. They can work off-site at lower rates with more specialized skill sets. In order to maintain harmonious relationship between a client and the VA, an open line of communication must be maintained and some measure of trust. There are ways that a client can track the progress of his virtual assistant. Read below:

Hire assistants with integrity and credible backgrounds. Ask to see samples of good work they have done in the past. Emphasize that they will be compensated by the actual hours worked, not based on a daily rate. If they are still enthusiastic about the position then they may be good candidates.

Ask SEO virtual assistants to install tracking software on their computers. Tracking software monitors if the user is actually active on designated websites or software products. If the assistant is idle for a certain pre-set amount of time (e.g.15 minutes), he is automatically logged off and have to log on again to become active. The assistant is only paid for the time that he is actively working.

Set tracking software, to monitor extraneous sites. The software can monitor if the assistant is playing around on social networking sites or gossip blogs. If there are internal company software systems, your tracking software can monitor whether the assistants are using those.

Request a daily work summary. This should approximately match-up with the results from the software system. Create a standardized template that can be filled out in a couple of minutes by your SEO virtual assistant.

What is supposed to be a meaningful professional relationship might lead to chaotic discord. Trusting a stranger nowadays is hard to do, how much more in giving your trust to someone you haven’t met personally.

Before you outsource the task to a virtual assistant, you must make up your mind whether you will be able to give your trust.

At the end of the day, it is about trusting your SEO virtual assistant. Trust is a key factor for the success of outsourcing a task to a VA. Without it, you and your VA cannot perform harmoniously. 

Friday, May 27, 2011

Facebook Account Maintenance – How to Create a Facebook Profile

Facebook is a social networking site that offers a free service that allows users to interact and get connected to millions of people around the world. Its cheap way of communicating and meeting people aroused the public’s excitement that made Facebook popular. Facebook account maintenance is a must after creating an account. Here are the Facebook account maintenance steps on how to create a profile on Facebook.

1. Log on to www.facebook.com. Sign in with your email address and password. Click the “Login” button.

2. Click “Edit My Profile”. This can be seen on the upper left side of the homepage under your name.

3. Fill up information. Then click the “Save Changes” button.

4. Click “Profile Picture”. This tab is under “Basic Information” on the left side of the page. Click the “Browse” or “Take a Picture” button to upload your profile picture. Then click the selected file. Wait for the picture to upload.

5. Click “Featured People”. This tab is under the “Profile Picture”. Select your relationship status. Click the drop down blue arrow button beside “Relationship Status”. Enter the name of the family member that you would like to add beside the “Family” tab.

6. Click the drop down arrow button beside “Select Relation”. Click the blue “X” button if you don’t want to include your family in your Facebook profile. Click the “Add another family member” tab if you want to add some more. Another blank field will show. Continue the procedure.

7. Once done, just click the “Save Changes” button. Click “Create new list” beside the “Featured Friends” tab if you want to create a group. Enter a group label on the blank box under “Create New List” tab. Enter the name of the person that you would like to include in the group on the second blank box in line with “Selected” tab. Click the “Create List” button. Then click “Save Changes”.

8. Click “Education and Work” tab. Fill up the information below.

9. Click “Philosophy” tab. Fill up the form below. Then click “Save Changes”.

10. Click “Arts and Entertainment” tab. Fill up the form. Then click the “Save Changes” button.

11. Click the “Sports” tab. Fill up the form below. Then click the “Save Changes” button.

12. Click the “Activities and Interests” tab.

Facebook is very essential in marketing your business online. Facebook marketing strategies are needed to attain a good online visibility.

Learn how to get the most out of Facebook for business marketing.

Ghostwriting: The Hidden Writer Revealed


 Are you afraid of ghosts? They are invisible and bodiless beings that our parents used to scare us when we fidget. Don’t you know there are also ghosts who prowl behind the publishing industry? They are officially called ghostwriters.

(Don’t be scared. They’re not the ghosts that you are picturing right now.)

To help you with your confusion, here is a dramatic description of a ghostwriter excerpted from the novel, “The Ghost” by Robert Harris:

“Take a look at the bestseller lists: you would be amazed how much of it is the work of ghosts, novels as well as nonfiction. We are the phantom operatives who keep publishing going, like the unseen workers beneath Walt Disney World. We scuttle along the subterranean tunnels of celebrity, popping up here and there, dressed as this character or that, preserving the seamless illusion of the Magic Kingdom.”


Ghostwriting is a form of professional writing wherein a writer is hired to write about something to the credit of the person who hired or paid for him.

A ghostwriter or simply ghost, write almost in every genre, from autobiographies of famous celebrities to e-books of marketing gurus and even letters to loved ones. In fact, most books by famous personalities were written by a ghostwriter.

The types of ghostwriters are:
Nonfiction
Fiction
Political
Religious
Medical
Website
Blog
Academic
Music and;
Visual arts

Many people outside the publishing industry considers ghostwriting as unethical. However, that belief is not necessarily true, in fact it has long been an accepted practice within the industry. The ghostwriting process is enough to defend the ethical nature of the work, because it is the client who is the first-hand author and the person behind the content. In ghostwriting, the ghost will just organize and polish the ideas to produce a readable and marketable work of art

Ghostwriting is a good income-generating profession. The average pay a ghostwriter can earn from a major publisher is around $30,000- $100,000, while others can earn as much as $500,000. And aside from the monetary gains, ghostwriting is rewarding because you got the chance of helping others.

Everyone can be into ghostwriting provided that he has the talent to write a masterpiece. When you wanted to author a book but don’t have the time, talent, discipline and know-how to write, finish and structure a book then perhaps it is the best time to consider ghostwriting.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Facebook Marketing Strategies: How to Post Valuable Links on Facebook

There are valuable information from the Internet that might be helpful to others. You can share the knowledge to your friends by simply posting the link in your Facebook.  You can share news, articles or blogs that you have read from a specific site you bumped into as you are browsing the Internet. Sharing links is one of the facebook marketing strategies. On how to do so, see below:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. Open another tab and locate the page of the website that you would like to share on your friends list. Then click the URL of the page which is located on the search bar. Copy the URL by clicking and dragging. Make sure that the whole URL is highlighted. Then right click and select “Copy”.

3. Go back to your Facebook homepage. Under “News Feed”, click “Link” and paste the URL inside the text box.  When done, this is the time for you to click the “Attach” button which is just beside the text box.

4. Upon clicking the “Attach” button, the page with the link will show. You can tell something about the link whether it’s a brief description, information or just a plain comment by writing it on the text box below it.

5. You can actually choose who can view your link by clicking on the drop down arrow under text box beside “Share” button.

6. Click the “Share” button to post the link. The link will then be posted in your homepage.

Facebook marketing strategies are essential for Internet marketing. By using this specific strategy you can share informative pages from the Internet to your friends. To those who are in business and looking for people to share their website with, this is a very effective strategy. Take note of other facebook marketing strategies to get ahead of the competition.

Capture Them with Copywriting

 
“I lost my number, can I have yours?”... 

“If I could rearrange the alphabet, I would put U and I together”.. 

“I’m a thief, and I’m here to steal your heart.” 

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”




Well, those are the most common cheesy pick-up lines in courting. (Someone might have said those words to you, yeeha!) Courting can be related to copywriting in a way. You need to court your customers in order to capture their hearts, as a copywriter, you must spill the words that can draw attention but keeping it as real as it gets.

According to Wikipedia, Copywriting is the use of words and ideas to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. (Well in Courting you’re promoting yourself in a way, but that would be applicable to one person only, unless you’re a collect and select type of person, geees!!). It is one of the most important component of Internet Marketing. Usually, a copywriter uses catchy words that encourages listeners or readers to do what the writer wants them to do in copywriting. It may sound like a request, command or even a plea.

They can be in a form of:
1. Slogan - A copywriter or some people call it as “punchline”. Just like the examples above.
2. Jingle Lyrics - It may be in a form of a song or a poem but surely a catchy one.
3. Web Page Content - It can be both informational or promotional form of copywriting. Informational as this tells what your company or business is. Promotional  as it tells what your company can do.
4. TV/Radio Commercial - As you watch the television or listen to the radio, you might have heard about a big company’s line like “Just Do it” by Nike, or “Because you are worth it” by L’Oreal Cosmetic, those are great examples used in copywriting.
5. Social Networking Site Posts - It may be in a form of Facebook Status message or a Tweet.


3 Simple Basic Rules in Copywriting

1. Get a Killer Title or Headline. This will serve as the judgement of how good your copywriting is like if your customers or readers are going to continue in reading your article or knowing your business more.

2. Sometimes Rules should be Broken.  As a copywriter, you may break simple grammar rules if it will transform your work into a masterpiece, but always remember, do not over do it in copywriting. Customers might not get what you really mean and worse, you might be misunderstood and came out negative on them.

3. Condition your Mind and Body. Both of them affects each other. So you must work on with the two to achieve what is your business have to say or what makes your copywriting as sweet as a candy to every one's ears. After all everything is all about communicating.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Twitter Marketing Tips – How to Change Your Email Address on Twitter

When you first registered to Twitter (whether it is for twitter marketing or solely for personal use), one of the basic requirements was an email. Twitter makes use of your email to update you on your account changes. For example, whenever someone messages you or in recovering your account, you’ll get email notifications. Only one email per Twitter account is allowed. But if you’d like to change the email which your current Twitter is linked to, follow these steps:

1. Ready your new email address.

2. Go to www.twitter.com and click on Account Settings.

3. Under that tab, you'll see the following fields - real name, username, and email address. Type your new email address into the email address field to replace the old one.

4. After entering your new email address in the correct field, click Save

5. Then you are required to enter your current password as displayed by a dialog box. Hit Save.

6. After saving, a yellow box will appear below the email field stating to confirm your email change. It won’t be removed unless you confirm your email.

Confirming your email:

7. Sign in to your email’s inbox. The new email you used not the one you replaced.

8. Open the new message you received there from Twitter. Message is about confirming your email.

9. Simply click the confirmation link.

10. Lastly, you would then be directed to your Twitter account.

After confirmation, change is completed. You must confirm your email to successfully change your Twitter email settings. Know the twitter basics for a more effective twitter marketing.

SEO Article Writing for Blog: Hook and Engage Your Readers

Do you find it hard writing an SEO articles for blog post?

Actually, anyone could write a blog because it doesn’t require much of your effort to think of something in a technical way. You don’t necessarily need to be concerned of your style and writing technicalities. Basic writing is innate to each and everyone but the compelling skills for blog writing can be learned.

Before writing an SEO articles as blog, ask yourself these first:

Will my blog offer the readers some information that they could rely on?
Will they be impressed of what I have written?
Or will they have an expressionless face while reading it throughout the end?
Blog writing is easy but writing killer blogs is still a far off place.

Here are some ways to make your readers engage to your blog posts:

Write something unique, fresh and recent

Provide the readers with the most controversial issue in town. Think of a topic that would eventually catch the attention of every person. Assure that if they get to read your blog, they will not only skim on it but will read the entire blog from beginning to end.

Create a killer title

The title is the first thing a reader will get to see in every blog. Be creative. Burst the uniqueness in you. Never start SEO articles writing unless you have come up with an awesome title. The blog which you have written might contain a very good content, but if your title sucks, don’t expect readers to even notice your blog post.

Input snappy and snazzy content

Anyone could actually be in SEO articles writing for blog post, even a high school student could. Remember though, that when you are writing, you must present your topic quickly. Not all readers will be spending their time reading the entire blog. So better keep it short and comprehensible.

Keep it simple and clear

Remember that your blog is published online, so expect that you will have global readers. It will not be helpful if you plan to use complicated words which others don’t know. Consider that not all of the readers could understand everything that you have written. Some speak English as their second language. Write your SEO articles in plain English.

Invite global audiences

In order to gain traffic in your blog writing, you must promote it to other social networking sites so people may able to visit it. Though they might not read your entire SEO articles, somehow, they may be able to skim on it. Follow the simple ways I have mentioned above so you’ll not be frustrated when people are not reading your blog.

Try to consider what I have mentioned. Have a brainstorming session first before you get your hands into writing. Think vigorously of what will make your blog stand out from the rest so you’ll not end up with sad thoughts.

SEO articles writing for blog is easy. If a simple teenager could write one, why can’t you?

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Facebook Account Maintenance – How to Post a Note on Facebook

Announcements, updates or any information that you would like your friends to know can be written in the Notes section of Facebook. This is more convenient instead of messaging people in your friends list about the content that you would like to inform them. Here are the facebook account maintenance procedures on how to post a note on Facebook, read the following:

1.  Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2.  Click on the “Profile” tab. This can be seen on the upper right side of the page.

3.  Click the “Notes” tab. This is under “Photos” which is located on the upper left side of the page.

4.  Click the “Write a Note” tab. This is written in blue text that can be seen on the upper portion of the page.

5.  Enter the title of your Note on the blank box beside it.

6.  Key in your message on the text box under “Body”.

7.  Type in the names of the persons that you would like to view your Note. Enter their names on the box beside “Tags”.

8.  If you want to add photo, click the “Add a photo” tab. This is just below “tags”. The photo could be related to the topic that you have discussed in your Note.  This is just optional.

9.  Click the “Browse” tab.

10.  Select a photo. Click the file name. Then click the “Open” button.  Wait for the picture to upload.

11.  Click the drop down arrow on the box beside “Privacy”. Select an option regarding on who can view your Note.

12.  Click the “Publish” button.

For more Facebook account maintenance tips and other effective ways to market and promote your business, try seeking the help a professional facebook marketing virtual assistant.

6 Online Survey Tips For Beginners

 
Internet–based free online surveys are everywhere! As long as you have access to the Internet, you can now create and respond to surveys online.  Sometimes you even get paid to answer it.  The good thing about online survey is the flexibility it can give to the researcher when presenting questions.  Because it is online, responses can be delivered and received quickly into the central database ready for analysis. No more paper reprints when there are errors.

But hey, print questionnaires cannot replaced by these webpage blitzes with auto computing functions. A disadvantage of online survey is based on Internet access. Not all people can answer free online surveys  and studies showed that respondents are biased to younger people. Some would even take it seriously through it because no one really supervises them when they are answering. Online survey is just alternatives in circumstances when the sampling allows the researcher to do so.

Organizations have been happily using online survey especially for getting all kinds of data like preferences, feedback, and opinions. If you want to get the most out of free online surveys, here are some great tips to follow:

1. Determine your purpose

Goals are important to have a realistic and measurable direction. What information do you need? Why do you need to post an online survey? How will you use the data collected? Thinking through it enables you to write the right questions and get the relevant data.

2. Select the right question format

Open-ended questions or close-ended questions? Open-ended questions are good for getting elaborate answers in qualitative research but it’s better for an online survey to have closed -ended questions because they are easier to answer and analyze (e.g. Yes/No) resulting to a higher response rate. Free online surveys  can also be in the form of multiple choice questions or check boxes. Just add an additional box for Others field to give space for extra answers.

3. Keep the survey concise

It’s not a good idea to have a survey with an extensive focus extensive focus. The tendency of long online survey is that they aren’t finished or not answered seriously.  Also, avoid lengthy wording in  free online surveys when you can state it in a simpler way. You’ll make the respondent take too much time reading your questions and possibly make them quit on the survey.

4. Inform and follow-up

Inform your respondents beforehand that you will conduct online survey on a specific schedule so they’ll be ready. Some people are not obliged to do such surveys but it won’t do any harm reminding them.  If they accepted your invitation for an online survey before, they are willing to answer it.

5. Start with a pilot survey

Hold your horses! It’s time to test your online survey first before you get the ball rolling. There might be errors and modifications that are yet to be discovered after several test responses.  Sometimes other people find it hard to understand your questions in your survey due to perceptive differences.

6. Offer incentives

It’s absolutely rewarding by simply giving your thoughts to an online survey. A caveat is when you offer an incentive that is too valuable and respondents may lie in order to avoid being phased out from the survey.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The True Value of Buying a Phone Service: Hiring a Virtual Assistant VS a Full Time In-House Employee

By phone service, I’m not talking about your cellphone service provider that gives you with whenever wherever minutes or unlimited call and text. What I’m talking about are receptionist services, taking messages, call answering and transfer, order taking and more.

With the advent of the Internet, people working from any location and delivering efficient work on time are made possible. Savvy small business owners nowadays are starting to see that outsourcing their telephone answering services in the form of a virtual assistant who is dedicated to a phone service is a more cost-effective way to enhance customer service than hiring a full time in-house receptionist.

Unlike a traditional telephone answering service, modern-day virtual assistant offer a wide range of services including live telephone answering, appointment scheduling, data entry, web research, transcription and more. A virtual assistant can help you with anything and everything which can be done over the internet and phone. The best thing about them is that they consider themselves as your employee and not just some third party call center. They have a strong sense of ownership for the task and are committed to completing it efficiently.

So, what is the true value of a virtual assistant that’s dedicated to phone service and how it is different from hiring an in-house employee?

Costs. You can get an efficient virtual assistant for less than half the salary  that you would be paying a regular in-house employee. Aside from salary, there’s vacation pay, holiday pay, travel allowance, food allowance and more for an in-house employee. An employer is said to be spending an additional 10%  worth of an employee’s annual salary on various benefits depending on the type of agency they are in. This would pretty much cover 4- 5 months salary of a virtual assistant.

Benefits. Another advantage of hiring a virtual assistant is not having to worry about expenses related to medical and health benefits. No medical, dental, and vision care benefits. No other employee benefits, like 401K, pensions etc., to pay.

Taxes. You don't have the burden of employer’s social security taxes, worker's compensation insurance, and unemployment taxes.

Employee Policies. You don't have the responsibilities associated with employee policies on working hours, vacation time, sick time, leave of absence, holidays, performance reviews, pa0yrolls, training, etc. Hiring a virtual assistant can help you to do away with all of these while saving a good amount of money.

Office Amenities. Aside from phone service, no office space, equipment, furnishings, office supplies, or training is required.

Performance and commitment. A virtual assistant understand that their proceeds depend on the results that they deliver to their client and they are most likely to spend more time trying to make sure that their outputs are correct and accurate unlike full time employees who get paid regardless of their effort. They provide you not only with phone service but also administrative support which in turn frees you up to focus on other office matters that bring in the most income for your business

Overall, when you consider the many related costs and the time involved in hiring, training and retaining good employees, most will agree that hiring a virtual assistant specializing in phone service is a definitely the way to go.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Facebook Account Maintenance: How to Check the Entire List of Notifications on Facebook


You are notified every time there’s a comment, post, invitations, changes or any activities that were done by all of your friends in Facebook. You might skip some updates from them if you are not able to open your account in days, weeks or more than that. You can still catch up by reading the following Facebook account maintenance steps on how to check your notification list.

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. Look for the “globe” symbol in the upper left portion of the page beside search bar. Then click.

3. Upon clicking, the latest notifications will be displayed. To see your previous notifications that you haven’t checked, just click “See All Notifications” which is just below of the last notification.

4. The full list of your notifications will be shown according to the date they were posted. To view, just click those texts that are in blue. As you click, you will see their corresponding details.

Hope this simple Facebook account maintenance tip helps.

Twitter Marketing Tips: How to Promote Your Twitter Profile

Twitter is a place to network with friends and other people with similar interests. To easily let someone find you on Twitter, it’s best to follow these twitter marketing tips in promoting your profile:

1. In twitter marketing you need to have a personalized URL -
  • After creating your Twitter account, your username (@VAsocial) will be a part of the URL (http://twitter.com/VAsocial)
  • Share the URL to your network especially when referring to Twitter
  • People who go through this URL and sign up will automatically follow you

2. Twitter marketing search features
  • Whenever someone searches for a keyword on Twitter, it refers to the relevant text found in your username, real name, and bio in ranking the results
  • Regularly update via tweets, retweets, and mentions to keep your tweets flowing and search results fresh and relevant.

3. In twitter marketing, a recommended list for new users is very important.
  • The feature "Warm Sign Up" lets you show a list of the recommended Twitter accounts to users who newly signed up through your personalized URL.  It is a way to make you feature the Twitter accounts you find worth following the most to your new followers. Here’s twitter marketing tip on how to use "Warm Sign Up":
  • On your Twitter account, create a Twitter List
  • Give your List a name
  • Select your recommended users
  • In the list description, include “#WelcomeToTwitter “. Example: http://twitter.com/MarthaStewart/martha-stewart-living
  • To verify if it is working, login with a different account and follow (or unfollow and re-follow) the accounts in the list
  • Then see http://twitter.com/welcome
  • You will see suggestions for the followed account in which you originally included in the Twitter List.

Separating Good Virtual Assistants from Great Ones

This is what a good Virtual Assistant (VA) does:

     Go to work.

     Do tasks.

     Finish tasks.

     Send reports.


     DONE.

Meanwhile, this is what a GREAT VA does:

     Go to work READY.

     Do tasks WITH MOTIVATION.

     Finish tasks ON TIME.

     Send ORGANIZED reports.

     DONE.

Spot the difference?

Separating great VA’s from the ‘meh’ ones can be hard.


It’s like looking for a pebble in a sandy beach.

Remember, great ones are always:

1. READY

To become a great VA, you need to be ready. Like all the time.

A lot of times, clients would ask their VA’s for emergency tasks. Although VA’s are often not obliged to take emergency tasks, great VA’s take these tasks and further impress their clients.

Being ready doesn’t only mean being ready physically, but also being ready mentally – knowing what to do and being able to do it. Always.

2. MOTIVATED

Good VA’s do their jobs. Great VA’s LOVE their jobs.

Motivation is something that a great virtual assistant should never run out of. Motivated people work better and have better outputs than those who have no motivation at all.

Try writing a 1000-word article with absolutely no motivation or inspiration. That’d be like a never-ending nightmare. Like being stuck in limbo in Inception.

3. PUNCTUAL

Procrastination is bad. Real bad.

Especially if you wanna be a great virtual assistant.

Finishing your work late can tick off your clients and cause them to replace you as their virtual assistant. Businesses value time since it’s an extremely limited resource.

Don’t endanger your job. Be punctual.

If you can’t finish the assigned task in the assigned time though, always inform your client so that they can be prepared.

4. ORGANIZED

VA’s often have LOTS and LOTS of tasks. They can’t just randomly pick tasks and do them.
They need to organize.

A disorganized Virtual Assistant is basically a dead VA. He/she’ll be overwhelmed with too many tasks that he/she will have no idea how to go over all of them.

Great VA’s use a variety of tools and software to get his/her tasks organized – sticky notes, to-do lists, alarm clocks…you name it.

GOT ALL OF THAT?

Remember, it’s RMPO - Ready, Motivated, Punctual and Organized. Hope this helps you separate the good from the great. Sometimes, all it takes is a keen eye.


Finally!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Facebook Account Maintenance Tips – How to Remove a Post on Facebook

You might receive some comments or posts that you find offensive or unpleasant from your friends list on Facebook. Aside from that, you also might have some errors on your post or comment that you would like to remove to correct them. One good thing is that, Facebook allows you to delete those. To start with, here’s the Facebook account maintenance tip on how to remove a post on facebook:  

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. Look for the post that you want to remove. Go to that page. It may be on your wall or on your friend’s wall.

3. From the selected post, click the upper right portion of the post to see the “X” which is just hidden. It won’t show unless you point your cursor on that area. Upon clicking, you will see the word “Remove”. Then click the “X”.  

4. A note will show up to confirm the action. Click on “Delete”. If you aren’t sure, you can just click on “Cancel”.

For more Facebook account maintenance tips, please do check out our Facebook marketing strategies.

Facebook Account Maintenance – How to Organize a Photo Album on Facebook

You might have hundreds of pictures on your Facebook account. With its huge number, you might have a hard time locating some pictures that you would like to check on. Here’s a facebook account maintenance tip; you can create albums to organize your pictures. Categorize them by event or date. This way you can easily locate your photos.

Here are the steps on how to create a photo album on your Facebook account:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. Click the “Profile” tab on the upper right side of the homepage.  This will bring you to your profile page.

3. Photos will be shown at the center of the page. Under these pictures, look for the “Photo” tab and click.

4. There are tabs under “Photo”. Click the “Create an Album” to start inserting your pictures in just one folder.

5. Before uploading or transferring your pictures in an album, short information will pop up with a simple demo. To proceed, click “Select Photos”.

6. Create a label for your album. Enter the title on the “Name of album” field. Type in the address on the “Location” field. For the quality of photos, click the small circle either beside of “Standard” or “High Resolution” tab. You can share your photos by selecting the options in the “Share album with” field. Then click the “Create Album” button.  

7. Upon clicking the “Create Album” tab, the Custom Privacy will show. You were given the chance to restrict your photos, allowing only the selected people to view your pictures. Under the “Make this visible to” tab, click the drop down arrow that is in line with “These people”. On the “Hide this from” tab, enter the name of the people you don’t permit to see your pictures in the text box beside “These People”. Once done, click on the “Save Setting” button. You can view your album in your “Profile”.

Here are the other options if you are not able to upload your photos, go back to step 5. Click “Try the Simple Uploader”.

1. Under “Create Album”, enter a name for your album. Followed by the address in the “Location” field.

2. Select people whom you would like to share your photos with by clicking the drop down arrow on the “Share album with” tab. Then click on “Create Album” button.

3. In the Custom Privacy, under “Make this visible to”, click on the drop down arrow to restrict access to your photos. If there’s someone that you don’t like to see your photos, just enter their names on the “Hide this from” tab. Then click “Save Setting”.

4. The “Create Album” tab will again show-up. Key in the necessary information that you once entered previously. After that, click the “Create Album” button.

5. Click on “Browse” to upload your photos. If you are already done, just click on the “Upload Photos” button.

6. You will see a note that the upload was already complete. Then click the “Publish Now” button.

7. The pictures that you have uploaded will show automatically.

Hope this facebook account maintenance tip helps you in managing your own facebook account.  More tips on how to do facebook account maintenance from a facebook marketing virtual assistant.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Facebook Assistant Tips: How to Change Your Facebook Password

The security of your account is through its password. When you suspect that someone had accessed your account, change your password right away. It is imperative that a facebook assistant must deal with this nuisance immediately when they are doing facebook account maintenance. Your private information might be hacked and might risk your life. For security purposes, you can always change your password by following the steps listed below:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. On the upper left side of the homepage, look for “Account” tab and click the drop down arrow beside it. Then click on “Account Settings”. It will bring you to “My Account” page.

3. Under “My Account”, click on “Password”. As you click, the rules in changing your password are shown below. Enter your password inside the text box beside “Old Password”.

4. Enter your new password inside the text box beside “New Password” which is just below “Old Password”. Re-enter your new password inside the text box beside “Confirm Password”.  Then click the “Change Password” button. You will receive an email notifying that you changed your password on Facebook.

The next time you log in to your account, use your new password since you can no longer use the old one because it was already replaced. Don’t forget to inform your facebook assistant of the changes made in order to avoid confusion.

Standing Out: A Crash Course on Virtual Assistant Social Media Marketing

No one notices you.

It’s been happening ever since you started your new job as a virtual assistant. You don’t know why, but you feel invisible – all the time. You’re see-through, like water in a bottle. You feel alone, separated. Ignorance has become a frequent acquaintance. You ask yourself a question – what’s going on?

You should’ve known this would probably happen before you even considered a virtual assistant profession.

Remember: Virtual assistance is a business. And you have lots of competition. Like thousands of competition.

The important question is: How do you stand out?

First Thing’s First – Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

You spent another couple of hours in your favorite online community. Been a member for over a year and you love how the people there feel the same way as you do. Only here did you ever feel comfortable, like it’s your home. You never want to leave. You’re scared of even just thinking about it.

Unless you want to look like this, get a vacation off your comfort zone. Spending too much time laughing about LOLcat pictures can steer you away from your primary goal as a new virtual assistant – getting clients.

Sure, you might have to give up certain things to achieve this goal. But what’s important is that you’ve taken that first step into going back to reality – you’re broke and you need work.

Getting Noticed Using Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing with Facebook has taken over your social life. Talking to the girl next door no longer involved getting a new haircut – Facebook messaging does the same job faster. You can’t ask for anything more.

Actually, it’s not just Facebook. All other social networking sites are integral in any social media marketing campaign. Not only will they allow you to easily communicate with clients, they can also help you find clients.

Pretend that you own a different kind of business – a restaurant for example – and you’re looking for new customers. Also pretend that it’s still the 80’s, when the Internet didn’t exist. How do you get customers?

One great way is by announcing to the world that your business exists through the help of social media marketing! Give out flyers, post adverts or tell the person sitting next to you.

Now, alter that idea to fit our technologically advanced society: Give out likes, post status updates or tell the person following you on Twitter.

Engaging in conversation is essential for your business to gain clients. When someone asks a question, or wants to clarify something, don’t ignore him/her. (Unless it’s spam) They’re all potential clients.

Establish connections, build your online repertoire and get famous.

Showing Off With the Help of Social Media Marketing

You open your web browser. You googled “virtual assistant”. After 0.07 seconds, the results load up in your monitor screen. You notice something – a ‘Blogs’ button. You clicked it with immediate curiosity.

Blogs are popular, let’s admit that. Some people even blog for a living.

Through blogging, you can inform people about your state as a virtual assistant. You can share tips, and give advice. If you get regular readers, you can ask questions through your blog.

A blog would also reinforce your marketing efforts by posting about your achievements, client testimonials, or your portfolio.

This would either draw clients to you or keep them away. Make sure you double-check what you blog before you click that Post button.

Establishing Your Brand Through Social Media Marketing

You notice something odd. You’ve been spending a lot of your time on marketing your business, but it still feels like nobody notices you. Maybe you’re cursed. Or just plain incompetent. Nevertheless, you do some thinking.

Remember that even if you have an excellent social media marketing strategy for your virtual assistant business, clients won’t come back to you if you performed like crap on your tasks.

What’s worse is if your work’s really crappy they’d tell that to their peers – ending in you not having new clients.

Remember that giving quality service to your clients is more important than social media marketing. If you can impress your clients enough with your work, they might even market you themselves to their peers.

The more clients you impress = the more clients for you in the future.

You have to establish your own brand in the virtual assistance field. Be an authority in the field and clients would line up for you like they would for the newest Apple gadget.

Ready for Greatness?

Well, this is just a crash course.

If you follow the things said here, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. It’s better to learn more about social media marketing as you go about in your profession. Remember that if you do well in your job, you probably wouldn’t even need to do the marketing yourself. Just focus on doing your job right and everything else will fall into place.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Facebook Marketing Virtual Assistant-Steps to Remove Your Facebook Profile from the Suggested Friends List

In Facebook, others can easily connect with you through your friends who also have their own network of connections. Facebook have this feature where users who are not your friends can add you through Facebook’s Suggested Friends List. You will see the list of suggestions under “People You May Know”.

From there, your profile can be shown to others that allows them to add you up as a friend. There’s a possibility that those who will add you are not really your friends or someone you don’t like and rejecting their invitations to be your friend can be tough.

To avoid this situation, you can actually remove yourself from the list of suggested friends. Just follow the simple steps below:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Log-in” button.

2. On the upper right side of the page, click on the “Account” tab. Under “Account”, scroll down and click “Privacy Settings”.

3. From “Choose Your Privacy Settings”, go to “Connecting on Facebook” and below it, click “View Settings”. You will see this in blue text.

4. Go to “Search for you on Facebook”. In line with it, click the drop down arrow to select your security options regarding on who can view your profile when someone is trying to search you in Facebook.

5. Scroll down and select “Friends Only”. Then click.

6. The “Friends Only” will then appear on the button just beside the drop down arrow confirming that persons who can search you on Facebook are only those who are in your friends list.

Facebook marketing virtual assistant is a trained individual who specialized in managing and improving clients facebook accounts.   If you want a reliable individual who can manage your facebook account, just visit Facebook Marketing Virtual Assistant

How to Join a Network on Facebook-Get Facebook Likes, Too

Facebook is about connecting with people. To add more to your connections, you can join a network that is in line with your interests to connect with different people with the same passion. Associating with a crowd who shares the same hobby can help you improve in the said field. Joining a Facebook network helps you get Facebook likes. Members in a network can help each other by sharing their experiences which is a big advantage plus, you will likely get Facebook likes. To join a network, follow these steps:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Log-in” button. Make sure that you have a Facebook account to proceed with the procedure. If you don’t have an account yet, make one.

2. Look for the “Account” tab in the upper right portion of the Facebook homepage. Click the drop down arrow beside it. Then go to “Account Settings”. Click the tab.

3. Click the “Networks” tab under “My Account”.

4. Search for a network to join. Type a keyword related to a group or network that you are planning to join. If you already have known a specific network to join, just key in the name on the text box under “Join a network” and enter their email address on the text box beside “Network email address”.

5. As you type each letter, a list of networks will show up that starts from the letters that you have entered. Continue typing until you completed the network’s name. When done, select a network by clicking its name.

6. Open a new tab to search your chosen network to join. Go to their page and get their email address. Enter the email address on the text box beside “Network email address”.

7. Click the “Join Network” tab.

8. A notification will be sent to you through your email address in Facebook. Check your email and look for the link that is attached on the message that was sent to you. Then click the link.

Want to have many Facebook fans that will “like” your Facebook page or in short get Facebook likes as many as possible?  Sit back and relax, get facebook likes with the help of facebook virtual assistant. 

Friday, May 13, 2011

Facebook Account Maintenance: How to Send an Email Message through Facebook Messages

Facebook has many features that we can take advantage of. Exploring those can be a part of your facebook account maintenance. One of their newest features is their email service. You don’t have to create an email account if you already have a Facebook account. Facebook allow its users to send and receive email messages to those who are in each other’s friends list, things you can do in any regular email service.

You can also send just one message to all of your friends without sending it to them one by one. To send your message in just one send, read the procedures below:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. On the upper left side of your homepage under “News Feed”, click on “Messages”. The page will then bring you to your inbox.

3. In your “Messages” page, click the “New Message” button in the upper right portion of the page. You will see it under the “Account” tab.

4. You will be required to enter the email address of the persons you would like to send your message to. Type in their email address inside the text box just beside “To:” If that person is your friend in Facebook, then you can type his/her name instead of the email address.

5. Enter the title of your message inside the text box beside “Subject”. Type in the contents of your message inside the big box just below “Subject”.

6. You can also add some photos, videos or links in your email by clicking on the images beside “Attach”. You will see this just below the huge box. As you point your mouse to the image, you will determine what their purposes are.

7. Click the “Send” button.
           Facebook account maintenance really has different variety, as long as facebook account maintenance helps you and your business, then maybe you should never quit practicing it.

How To Change Notification Settings When You Get Twitter followers

Email notification settings are defined by Twitter as “how much we bug you about various things.”

The things you receive in your email from Twitter can be controlled by these simple settings.
You can change your preferences on the settings page if you want or don’t want to receive

1) new notifications when you get twitter followers
2)new direct messages, and
3)email updates or the inside scoop on Twitter.




To change email notifications settings:

1. Sign in to Twitter.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Notifications.
4. Check or uncheck the boxes to indicate your preferences.
5. Click Save.

If you are not able to receive emails, see troubleshooting. Just make sure your email is already correct in the account settings.
Other information and tips, feel free to contact twitter virtual assistant.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Facebook Account Maintenance: How to Remove Tagged Photos on Facebook

Some of your friends may tag you with photos you don’t like to where you have a picture that you prefer to be buried and hidden instead of showing to the world or photos that may affect your business’ integrity. Facebook account maintenance will be the hero to the rescue on that problem. The embarrassment it causes you makes you eager to detach yourself from that photo.  In situations like this, Facebook allows you to untag yourself form those pictures. To remove a tag from a specific photo you find unpleasant, refer to the following steps:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. Look for “Profile” on the upper left side of the homepage. Then click the tab. Upon clicking, it will bring you to your profile page.

3. Under your profile picture, you will see some categories. Click on “Photos” under “Info” tab to select pictures you would like to remove yourself from the tag.

4. Select a photo of you that was tagged by your friends that you would like to untag yourself. Point your cursor to the picture and click.

5. Under the photo, you will see the name that was tagged on the picture. Look for your name. Beside it, click the “remove tag” tab to untag yourself from that photo.
By following these simple facebook account maintenance tips, you’ll be assured that no unwanted photos can ruin you and your business.


Facebook Account Maintenance: How to Discontinue your Membership from a Facebook Group

There are various groups in Facebook that you are free to join. Joining a group also expands your network of connections, one good way in facebook account maintenance which is beneficial either for personal or business purposes. Upon joining a group, there might be instances or discoveries which you find unpleasant and as a part of your facebook account maintenance, you may wanted to remove yourself out from that group. That dilemma is easily resolved in following these easy steps on how to stop your participation as a member from that group. Read below:

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com. Sign in using your email address and password. Then click the “Login” button.

2. From your homepage, view the groups that you have joined, which are listed on the upper left portion of the page. You will see these groups just under your profile. It is located just below “Friends”. To see the full list, just click on “See All”.

3. Your memberships with different groups will be displayed. Click the group that you would like to discontinue your membership.

4. This will then bring you to the group’s page.

5. On the upper right side of the page, go to “Members”. Under “Members”, look for “Leave Group” which is just under “View Photos” and click that link.

6. You will then receive a verification message before the action takes place. Just click the “Leave Group” button if you are already sure. If you changed your mind, you can still back out by clicking the “Cancel” button.

7. After clicking the “Cancel” button, you will be removed from the group. You will then see the “Ask to Join Group” button in line with the group’s name in the upper portion of the page that shows you have been removed from the group. You are still free to join the group when you want to by clicking the “Ask to Join Group”.
All this steps are part of your facebook account maintenance. Make sure that you join relevant groups in facebook.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Twitter Business Marketing-How to Change or Recover Your Twitter Password

A. Recovering Your Lost Password:

1. Go to Twitter and click “Forgot it?” underneath the login box.

2. Then you will be directed to https://twitter.com/account/resend_password

3. Enter your email address or Twitter username. Also, there may be a captcha to prove that you are human. Click Send Instructions.

4. Enter your phone number if your account is linked to your mobile. There is a suggested format.

5. You will then receive an email from Twitter so you can check it out immediately.

6. Click the reset link in the email you received from Twitter.

7. Choose a new password. You will then be directed to your homepage.

You can now login using that password. It is advised that your password should be identified as Strong by Twitter.

B. Changing Your Password:

1. Sign in to Twitter.

2. Click Settings found on the upper right hand navigation bar.

3. Click the Password tab.

4. Type in your current password.

5. Type in your desired new password on the New Password and Verify New Password boxes.

6. Click Change to save the changes.

Business owners have used social media like Twitter to market their products and services. Twitter business marketing as it is called is a game of numbers. In twitter business marketing, you need to get a sufficient number of followers in order for your marketing efforts to succeed. You have to establish yourself as a trustworthy member of twitter community to gain success in your twitter business marketing campaign.

Change Your Twitter Profile Picture and Design by the Help of Twitter Virtual Assistant

Customizing your Twitter account is not a necessity but it sure does make your profile look better than the default. The profile settings tab is found on the fifth tab of your account settings.

There are several functions that you can change:

A. Changing your profile photo

Maximum image size is 700k with formats limited to JPG, GIF, and PNG.


2. Click on the drop-down menu on the upper right corner of your page aka navigation bar.

3. Click on Settings.
   Click on Profile as the fifth tab of the Settings page.
   Click Change Image.
   You will then see the Choose File button. Click it to choose which file to use.

4. After selecting your desired file, click Save at the bottom of the page.

A new image thumbnail will then appear.

B. Updating name, bio, and location
1. Visit the 'Profile' tab under Settings.
2. You may now make changes to your name, bio and location.
3. Click Save.

C. Customizing Twitter Design

There’s no need to redesign your Twitter page when you already like it. But if you prefer a personalized one, here are ways to modify Twitter design:

1. Log in to www.twitter.com
2. Click on settings on the navigation bar or http://twitter.com/account/settings
3. Click on Design tab (last tab)
4. There are preset themes for your choosing but if you’d like to have your own background, select "Change background image” and upload desired file. Background image should not be more than 800k.
5. You may also modify sidebar, text, and link colors by clicking "Change design colors”
6. Click on many of the boxes to change your colors. Just click Done when finished.
7. Save your changes when done

A Twitter virtual assistant is someone you can rely on regarding better twitter profile management.  Twitter profile could look brilliant and sophisticated if handled by a Twitter virtual assistant.  A Twitter virtual assistant does not only make your profile look better and brilliant but also helps expose your brand online.  They also provide customers with technical assistance as well make presentation and other informative media.  To learn more, you may visit Twitter virtual assistant.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

How to Write a Good Article (Not a James Bond Top Secret Thing)


"Alright, so I'm starting to write this article at this exact instant and as I keep writing more and more words I'm pretty sure that this article would be a good one when I finish it."

But what’s the secret behind a good article?

Does it have a secret ingredient or formula just like the specialty recipe from a restaurant? And how can you say it’s a good article? Was it all about the good mood of a writer? Or does it depend on the chosen topic? What are the tips in making a good article? What are the benefits in writing an article?  We will answer those last three questions one by one.

What’s the secret behind a good article?

Writing an article isn't confidential information that only James Bond has access to, in fact, all you need is:

1. Yourself. Of course we need you to write for your own self. We cannot say that you have written a good article unless it came from you. If you can express yourself in your writing then you’re on the path to become a good writer.

2. Mental Presence. We need a brain that can think and command your body parts right here, right now, not somewhere that doesn’t exist. If you free your mind from worries, you can keep the ideas flowing like a river.

3. Good Writing Materials. When I say good writing materials, they are something you are comfortable with in writing, may it be a computer or pen and papers. You have to be in a comfort zone while writing to be able to unleash your fullest writing potential.

We don’t need any secret formula in writing an article. And we can say that an article is a good one if it can call attention and is easy to read like you can understand it just the way it is. Who would appreciate a boring and stilted article? It’s not all about a writer’s mood or topic. As long as you speak out what’s on your mind and you’re telling the truth, that’s more than enough.

Anyways, the following tips are for experts...also.

Tips on writing a good article:

1. Know your topic well. We can’t share knowledge and ideas if we ourselves don’t have it. Understanding the different aspects of your topic will give you spontaneity in writing.

2. Have a framework of your ideas. This will serve as your plan, may it be on your mind or putting it in writing. Remember, planning always comes after assessing your topic.

3. Make it understandable. If your article will be compared to food then make it palatable and easy to digest in people’s minds. Always put sympathy in writing.

What are the simple yet BIG benefits in writing a good article?
1. First of all, It draws visitors.
2. And visitors, means more traffic.
3. And more traffic, means more chances of higher page ranking.
4. Which results to a very good reputation for you and your products or services.
5. After all, IT’S FREE!

The secrets to effective article writing is no longer a secret. You’ve just been given access to this confidential information. Utilize this information to your advantage and don’t let the enemy access it.

The Importance of Contracts to Virtual Assistants

As a virtual assistant it is important that you should secure a contract form before your first client arrives. Depending on what type of services you will offer your client, you should have the right contract for your work. Moreover it is important that a contract exists between you and your client, for your mutual protection. Yet before you pin down the terms of the contract you must know what a contract is and how it works.

Contract

A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two consenting parties. It guarantees that both parties are legally bound to fulfill the obligations or the terms stipulated in the contract.

There are three basic elements of a contract, these are the offer, consideration and acceptance. for a contract to be valid under the American law, it must at least possess these six basic criteria:

1. All parties must have capacity to enter a contract - meaning both parties are of legal age and free of any factors which may disqualify him or her from entering.

2. An offer must be made.

3. A consideration must be exchanged.

4. The parties must be in mutual agreement.

5. Both the object and the purpose must be legal.

6. The form of the contract must meet the requirements set by law.

If these six wasn’t met from the very beginning, the contract is voidable or maybe terminated in accordance with law. Furthermore these criteria can be used as basis for the determination of the existence of breach of contract.

When either party failed to meet the obligations of the contract, a breach of contract occurs. There are corresponding penalties attached to breaching of contracts. The remedy for a breach of contract in the court of laws is called damages or monetary compensation. The aggrieved party has the right to file legal actions against the one who breached the contract. For instance when your client failed to pay the required amount for your services, you can demand for damages.

In order to avoid future legal entanglements, proper communication should exist between you and your client.

3 Types of VA contracts


There are three types of contracts in the virtual assistant business - hourly agreement, per-project agreement and the retainers. In the hourly type of contract, as the name suggests, the VA is paid on an hourly basis. While in the per-project agreement the rate is determined for the project. Whereas in the retainer type the VA agrees to work for a number of hours for a specified period of time. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.

It is important to have a client sign a contract before the work begins. This will ensure that terms of the contract is clear and both of you understand and are willing to abide with it. As a virtual assistant it is your duty to secure a contract.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Art of Word Processing in Virtual Assistance

Imagine a world without words.

That’d be boring.

Words are important. Too important that we couldn’t possibly function normally without them. They’re the basic foundation of communication. Without words, we couldn’t talk or write, and we’d just be antisocial beings that all happened to coincidentally exist in one planet.
Now let’s try this with a lesser scope.

Imagine working as a virtual assistant without words.

Same result – boring.

No, wait. Not only will virtual assistance be a boring profession, it won’t even exist.

Virtual Assistance minus Word Processing equals nothing

That’s because a virtual assistant cannot perform without a client. And how do clients give you tasks, answer your questions, and rate your performance if words didn’t exist? Plain impossible.
This is the main reason why word processing is an integral part of the profession. Effective VA’s should learn how to properly use a word processor (it’s not that hard), to get anything going with the job.

Documentation is important in any business, and clients would demand reports from you with every task. Sure, you could always write your reports by hand but that would mean sore fingers and a really patient attitude. Word processing software are gifts. Utilize them like you’d utilize the PSP you got last Christmas.

Awesome Writing plus Skillful Typing equals Word Processing Euphoria

Before you start playing with whatever word processing software you have though, you better learn how to write first.

Sure, Microsoft Word’s got a spell and grammar checker, but that’s not enough to make you a good writer.

You should know the basic format and etiquette in writing letters, reports and summaries. You should be able to distinguish between a formal and informal piece. You should always know what writing style is appropriate for a situation. You should know that there are a lot of different writing styles that it’d take up a whole Wikipedia article to discuss.

And most importantly – you should read. A lot.

After learning how to write correctly, learning to use a word processor would be a breeze. It’s like typing on a typewriter, only you can edit what you’ve written.

Imagine life without words. You’d rather not exist.

5 Tips For Developing A Better Social Customer Support

How easy is it today to get customer support? Digitally easy.

No matter where customers are, they can tap the shoulders of your company’s representative with a press of a button to ask for assistance. This is possible because of social media’s real time customer support channel and these customers are now able to control the conversations. Control here refers to the ease and increased frequency of customers using social media.  In the company’s part, it is a chance to constantly engage the customers and continually satisfy them.


Satisfaction is the objective. A customer can either be someone who just expresses his/her thoughts and opinions or someone who is not likely to be happy about a company since he/she uses social media for complaining. Regardless of the latter, both of them give you more reasons in developing a better social customer support so here are five tips for social customer service success:

1. Social Influence Is Not The Only Basis

After seeing someone who is very influential (say Klout score) pouring out negative messages about your company, would you focus most of your attention to that customer? Not really. He or she may not be as loyal as someone who is not so influential. Therefore, don’t fully focus your attention to a customer just because of influence.

2. Go Real with Time

A lot of real-time data flows through the stream of social media every second.  You should have a great tool that can’t miss a single data for you to respond. That is rule no. 1 in social media marketing for an effective customer support - Listening.

3. Have a Centralized Customer Data

Any customer data that is handled by someone else in the company should not be privately confined to a specific representative. Customers are not into waiting because the co-representative is not available. Your system must allow you to track the issues and give the appropriate response the other co-representative would. 

4. Intra-cooperation

Actually it’s also great to have a social support internally and that means the employee can handle any customer inquiries. In each part of the business, a socially-oriented company will also make traditional customer support equally satisfying. 

5. Legal Matters

Regulations tell us what is right and wrong to say in customer support. There are times when customer service requires you to get sensitive information such as birth date and any other private numbers. Make sure other people see it happening but the correspondence is only viewable or heard by the representative and the customer, such as transactions on phone and email.  Establish your customer-oriented reputation.

Here are the basic rules of thumb: Listen then engage customers equally. Don’t make customers wait. Everybody in the company should be social. End.