This month marks the 2nd anniversary of this blog, the first of many. When I started it was to try out this new medium for a client so rather than learn on her time, I learnt on mine, exploring the blogosphere, joining communities and commenting on other people's blogs. It was several months before I really 'got it' and understood what blogging was about - by then I was hooked. I started up a family blog several months after this one to replace the annual family Christmas newsletter and … [Read more...]
Podcast & Blog Hopping Virtual Assistant Promotes Industry during 45 Day Tour
Well, the 2nd annual Online International Virtual Assistant Convention is almost here and along with it, something totally new! A blog hopping tour. Details below. Baltimore, MD ― We've heard about or read about tours designed to promote all kinds of causes or industries. But you've never read about something like this before. Sharon Williams, also known as the Podcast and Blog Hopping … [Read more...]
What You Pay For and so on….
On one of the VA forums I moderate we periodically have discussions about the use of free software versus paid software. In many cases it makes sense to pay for decent software and after all, we are running businesses aren't we? Sometimes going cheap means you pay for what you get - something that's 'cheap and nasty'. This doesn't only apply to software but also other products and services. However, another VA forum was discussing the type of software that VAs use and amongst those items were … [Read more...]
Finding out what to charge
Periodically on the VA forums to which I belong, a VA will post a question, asking what is the 'normal' rate for a particular service. There are a number of reasons why that question will cause challenges for them and I'll explain it here. Firstly, the VA forums have members from all over the world so the cost of living in the areas in which each VA lives and works will be quite different to that of many of the other VA members. Secondly, the skills and experience of each of the VAs will also … [Read more...]
Happy Anniversary To Me, Happy Anniversary To….
Today is the 13th anniversary of the registration of "A Clayton's Secretary". A milestone in small business as we all know and have heard the statistics so many times of the number of businesses that make it to the end of the first year, the second, the fifth and the tenth. So, I just couldn't let this day go past without letting people know about it. The simple typing and data entry secretarial service I started all those years ago, just so I could be home for our 5 young daughters, has grown … [Read more...]
Web copy and plagiarism
Regular readers will have seen my post a few days ago about website copy being stolen. Several comments were made including one from Jonathan Bailey of Plagiarism Today. I emailed Jonathan and asked him some questions about his suggestion and he has very kindly given back some answers so I'm placing them here for your information. Thanks heaps Jonathan! Tell us about DMCA notices Jonathan - I must admit I’ve never heard of them. Are they country specific or global? Kathie, Your question … [Read more...]
Hieroglyphics and mixed up words in spam
What is all this ridiculous stuff that makes no sense that comes in spam? Is it some kind of secret code that only the exceptional few know and understand? Perhaps there's some global thing happening where groups of people around the world are planning things and the information is disseminated by the code in the spam? Who knows? Spam is bad enough at any time but it used to make some sense - it was pretty much trying to promote something or lure you somewhere to suit the sender's needs. But … [Read more...]
Help! Someone has copied my website!
Some of the VA forums I belong to have recently had discussions about new VAs who are copying the content of more established VAs and placing it on their website, unchanged. It is plagiarism and as far as I know, that isn't legal. It certainly isn't moral and can be very upsetting for the owner of the content. Why does this happen and what can be done about it? Well, it happens for a number of reasons. People like what they've seen and want to copy it as it will make them look more … [Read more...]
Troubleshooting Software
The other day my husband was having a challenge with an update of software on his computer. Normally he can sort out software problems as he spends his work days working with the technical side of software design but this particular one was proving troublesome. The help files on the provider's site was not useful at all and so I suggested that he check to see if there was a chat forum somewhere related to the software, or the hardware that the software was being used for. He did that - and … [Read more...]
