I’ve been collecting a host of twitter tools for a blog entry for some time now. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it may be enough to help expand the usefullness of one of my favorite social media platforms. Check them out for yourself:

Twitter rank – Like pagerank for twitter users.

Twitter search – Want to look for particular terms (or your own name, brand or competition) on twitter? This is the tool!

Twitter Fan Wiki: Apps – Want to find the best of the twitter platform apps for your own use, check out this exhaustive list.

Twitter alerts: TweetBeep – Would you like an email when someone on twitter mentions you or your products or your company — or even your favorite topic? This is the tool… but beware, too-general terms will overflow your inbox in minutes!

Twitter pictures: TwitPic - Expand the platform from 140 characters to include photos with this service.

Tweet from Firefox: TwitBin – If you love Firefox as much as I do, and would like to twitter directly from there, try this addon.

Twitter in groups – Want a way to narrow the collective into groups and specific conversations/discussions? Try tweetworks.

Tweet-grid – Select a handful of topics you would like to follow and create a browser-based grid to hold them all. I tested this during the election and found it to be quite useful.

Twitter directory – get listed here and find people with similar interests!

Prettify your twitter – grab a twitter background to rise above the norm.

Twitter hashtags – a way to group specific keywords/topics when trying to stay on top of twitter speak.

Tweet clouds – ever wonder what you tweet about most often? Find out!

Twitter cost – once you start following some of the bigger names, you may find that you don’t have the time to read all those microposts. Check the guy/gal here before committing to a follow — or do a vanity check on yourself. Are you worth the cost? Are they? (Also shows the political index of any twitter user.)

And, if all this talk of Twitter is like Greek to you, try Jason Hiner’s excellent Twitter article as your intro to this platform. It’s from May of this year, but is a great starting place for those new to twitter or twit-wanna-bes.

I’d welcome any additions to this list, so tell me what you guys use!

(Note: Bluebird photo courtesy of gracey of morguefile.com)

A friend contacted me last night with a quandary…

He wanted to learn to write with a bit more passion. He felt his style was more journalistic than persuasive. He asked if I had any pointers.

So, at midnight, during a 15-minute-cross-country-guerrilla-approach-to-writing session, we covered the following basics:

Grab them with the title

If you don’t pique the audience’s interest with the title, they won’t read any more of your story. Tell them in a quick, pithy style why the rest of the story is something they need to know. Advertise what’s in it for them or intrigue them.

Example:
Change the boring title, “The Current Economy’s Downturn Impacts Designers and Fashion Entrepreneurs in New York”  to “NYC Designers Weather Economy With Style!”

Starting out

At the top you summarize what you are going to say and ask the “w” question that your writing teacher never told you “Who gives a …. a…. hang?” (*Yeah, that works*) Tell them first why it matters to them.

You can’t give away all the information at the top because all the information isn’t contained inside your story. Online, the tentacles and supporting information will go out to hook other webpages.

After the first “w” question, THEN you go on to the classic “Who, What, Where, When and How” of the story.

Break down paragraphs

In standard writing, meaty paragraphs are a good thing. Paper likes large chunks of gray space. The web doesn’t. Online you should:

• Use short paragraphs
• Trim up your sentences
• Make your writing easy to scan

The shape of content to come

Forget what you learned in school and ditch the “reverse pyramid.” Writing is not a simple linear practice online. You don’t skip along from most important facts to least.

Think of your story structure more like an egg; less pointy, more rounded and appealing. The title is your hook, followed by a general statement that summarizes the story. Fill in the “yolk” with details and examples. Add links and sprinkle liberally with bullets to capsulize the essential points. Conclude with a summary.

On the web, content gains depth and dimension through diagrams, graphics, inter-textual links to related outside resources. This doesn’t happen in the lead paragraph. It happens in the middle.

Be conversational

Stilted, sterile language doesn’t work. Your visitors want a comfortable way to absorb information. If you don’t provide it, someone else will. Readers need clarity with warmth. They seek knowledgeable, easy-to-digest resources. Humor is worth bonus points.

The mantra in business used to be “keep it professional.” Internet trends have encouraged us to “keep it personal” online and find ways to bridge the geographic distance by decreasing the psychological and social distance between individuals.

So, speak to your audience the same way you would speak to a friend. Use natural word choices and tone. Let your personality shine through. After all, that’s what will keep them coming back.

When writing for the web, hook your reader with a title too interesting to ignore. Answer the first “w” question right away and tell them the gist of what you plan to say. Answer the five standard questions (who, what, where, when, why and how) and illustrate them with examples from additional resources. Then summarize the article and bid them farewell.

And, yes, amping up your web writing really can be this easy!

(photo courtesy of kesh of morguefile.com)

Until recently, even if you didn’t have a “network” enabled printer, you could putz around with the thing and get it to work… especially if you have a dedicated server to run it through.

Those days are over.

In the same way that the win-fax modems put the stupid in a periperal, the printers are now relying on the CPU of the host computer to run the things. This means that they need a constant connection with that host computer.

Thus, if you try to “share” it across a network, a whole host of ugly (and hard to troubleshoot) things can occur… like intermittent printing, endless spooling, and serious wait times — I’m talking up to 12 minutes to print a simple .txt file!

So, if you think that a printer you are going to buy now might EVER need to be on a network, do your research carefully and skip on over to Best Buy and New Egg and CNET for the reviews and the ratings (stars for BB, eggs for NewEgg) and read what others say about the products.

Like I just told my “social networking naysayer” father — social networking isn’t just about Twitter and Facebook… it’s about using the collective knowledge to make better choices. (He still resents that I call his time spent on NewEgg as “social networking” time — of course he’s just a lurker, he never actually leaves any reviews of his own.)

I’m wearing him down.

So, save yourself the headaches, stress and frustration — do the research first and don’t assume that the old “tried and true” methods will work. You can’t simply add a printer or even lock it in via TCP/IP or, set it up as a local printer by specifying the IP address and share name of the printer.

Times have changed.

Also, the drivers for Vista are not all created equal. Very few of the lower-end printers have decent drivers for Windows Vista 64-bit machines. (They do well to support standard 32-bit machines).

And before you buy, Google “problems with ________ (insert the model you plan to purchase) with __________ (the operating system(s) you plan to use) on a network.” Then read and be scared… very scared.

That just about does it for my rant’o the day. It’s late.

With the market like it is right now, you may want to take the time to build up marketing impact when the daily work of real estate isn’t all-consuming. Are you interested in finding new ways to advertise your listing online to improve that home’s chance of selling, while boosting your own visibility?

Featured Listings
Here’s a list of a few of the best online resources for advertising yourself… er… I mean your listing. Be sure that you have your listing FEATURED on your own home page. By doing this, any incoming links “for more information” will lead to the index page of your website. So, even if the home sells, you still have a link that’s live and is helping you. And when you sell a home, you will have other “featured” homes listed for the incoming traffic to review.

Landing Pages
You may want to add a landing page that gathers the “from” URL and customizes your website to say, “If you were seeking the featured home from Craig’s List, it’s already sold… but we have these great homes still available! And then list the home you do have featured in a thumbnail format so they can click for more information.

Localized Online Classifieds
Most popular websites for free (or extremely low cost) real estate classified ads today:

http://www.kijiji.com
http://www.craigslist.com/
http://www.backpage.com
http://www.tenant.com/
http://www.nfafn.org/
http://www.usfreeads.com/
http://www.freeclassifiedads.com/
http://listsomething.com/
http://www.nocostclassifieds.com/
http://www.postlets.com/
http://www.facebook.com (Free “MarketPlace” ads)
http://www.trulia.com/
http://base.google.com/
http://www.oodle.com/
http://www.local.com/
http://www.propsmart.com/
http://www.vast.com/
http://byownermls.com/
http://www.livedeal.com

Many of these websites have an expiration day- so don’t forget to renew!

(photo by mconnors of morguefile.com)

Ok, I should give credit to someone for this information — and I really WOULD if only I could remember where I found it originally.

The issue: HP 1020 printers have a known problem with Ubuntu and Kubuntu. It makes me crazy. Now back when I did my first Kubuntu system, I dug in (or begged help from someone) and managed to get it installed. Now, on Ubuntu (and my third Linux system rebuild) I had managed to forget that little “note” I’d made.

I’ve been trying for TWO WEEKS to get my printer to work. Heck, I even swapped out for three older printers I had lying around. (I really need to clean out my gadgets!) And, I was still without a working printer.

Then, this weekend, as I swapped all my notes over from BasKet Notes to Tomboy Notes, I found the little unassuming note. The process is listed here, and it works like a CHARM (although you should remember to remove any previous attempts in CUPS, reboot your system and reinstall via CUPS).

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential
$ wget -O foo2zjs.tar.gz http://foo2zjs.rkkda.com/foo2zjs.tar.gz
$ tar -zxvf foo2zjs.tar.gz
$ cd foo2zjs
$ sudo make uninstall
$ make
$ ./getweb 1020
$ sudo make install install-hotplug cups

Hope this helps someone else as much as it has helped me!

Want excellent local media coverage? Want to get your business name spread across the Internet? Want to do it all for free? It’s possible!

There is no such thing as a free lunch, but it is possible to secure free media coverage if you plan ahead. Maintain a strong interest in your niche industry and stay flexible enough to jump quickly at any opportunity, and you can bask in the glow of free publicity.

Serve the media and it will serve you

Media professionals rush for a living. They are constantly under impossible deadlines. They get assignments, have news that breaks, and sometimes they just need to fill space. They always have to do these things five minutes ago. So, if you become a dependable resource for them, they will call.

If you want to get the “breaks” with the media, if you want the inside track with the local, regional and national outlets you have to become a great media resource.

A Great Media Resource:

• is always available
• alerts media professionals to changes in the industry
• will jump through hoops to help THEM meet their deadlines

It’s difficult to be always available when you are juggling multiple projects. Don’t let a nervousness about being interviewed turn into a hesitation. Make sure your primary number forwards to your cell phone and always return calls promptly. Not all media folks will identify their industry when they call. Even if you are overwhelmed with work, call back every lead – potential customer, referral or media professional and do it immediately.

Often, media workers will gather a list of potential interviews and will begin by calling the list from top to bottom. They will stop when they reach someone they can interview. You need to be that someone.

If they call (or email) and can’t reach you — they move on to the next person. They don’t have time to wait.

Courting the media

Media professionals like having an “insider” in the industries they cover. If you send them updates, press releases and statistics regularly with the statement “I’m available for interviews” in each one, you may become one of those insiders. Become a “go to” resource for the media in the same way you are that resource for your clients.

How can you do that?

If a you read an article in a local paper and it’s missing an aspect or a bit of information that you can provide, take that opportunity to email the reporter. Let them know (in a non-threatening, helpful way) that you are willing to serve as a resource for future articles.

Dear Jane -

I really enjoyed your article on the impact of the housing crunch on the local market printed in today’s paper. I work with real estate agents across the nation and try to stay on top of the local, regional and national trends to better serve my own clients.

I noticed that you mentioned the increase in the inventory this year over this time last year. The increase is pretty dramatic and the local figures in the databases I use indicate a 47% increase over this time last year in the $200-400K homes. However, the inventory has actually dropped 7% in the $800K+ homes, so there is some light in that segment of the market.

If you plan to do similar articles in the future and need figures or another resource to quote, I would love the opportunity to help. You can call me at 800-123-4567 anytime.

Thanks again for the great articles, I love reading your work!

Jan B. Smith
TheOutsourcingPro.com

When news is happening, like a new company coming to the area, stay on top of the news as it develops. Use Google email alerts to flag topics related to your area of expertise, so you know the moment something happens. When the announcements roll in, email the reporters you are courting with the fact that it’s just been announced and tell them you are available if they have any questions.

Distributing press releases and writing articles

Press releases by themselves are not a marketing plan. They are, however, an important piece of a good plan. Press releases shouldn’t be self-serving, “look-at-me” pieces of fluff. They should provide actual information about what’s going on in your target industry and why it’s important to media readership and your clients. Make sure your information lends itself to use in an article, a feature, or another media format.

Three free PR venues I like:

• PRLog.org
• free-press-release.com
• powerhomebiz.com/BizNews/pressrelease.htm

When you send out your free online press releases, don’t forget to send those same releases into the business editor of your local paper and other papers in your region.

Look for magazines and other publications that serve the same industries you serve. Know the editorial schedules of publications that will help you (these are usually available on their website). Email the editors and offer to write an article in your area of expertise.

Get some confidence!

If you don’t feel confident in your ability to write an article, call in some help. Many industry experts have personal writers that help them to look good. Find someone you like who will work with you to provide you the presentation polish your knowledge needs.

I have one client that gets a call from the media and immediately calls me. He calls and says things like, “I need to write an article on the use of routers for wireless networks in real estate offices and have it to an editor in 48 hours, can we do it?” And, of course the answer is always “Sure!” So while he’s driving back to his office, we are talking on the cell phone and I’m “pulling” the information from him and typing it up as we chat. By the time he reaches his office, I’ve polished up a first draft for his review.

A good media “helper” can also help you prepare for upcoming live interviews and help you write up exceptional responses to email interviews.

If you manage to “click” with a good writer, you can get this type of help on the fly. It will give you the polish and the confidence you need to shine when you are in the spotlight. And if you are just getting started in your business, you may be able to trade off your services with a writer who needs help in other areas.

Media is your star client

Always treat members of the media with the same dedication and service you offer clients. After all, they ARE a client. Make arrangements to be able to offer them what they need to meet their deadline – even if you have to juggle to do so. Like your other clients, they will come back if you make their lives easier – and will recommend you to their peers.

Good media coverage is a self-propagating process. If you are featured in an article, a TV station may pick you up as a resource, industry magazines may ask you to write an article, local event coordinators may ask you to host a session or sit on a round-table.

The more you do in the public spotlight, and the more you work with the media, the more you will be asked to do.

I recently added a new hard drive to my little emachines T5230 (a low-cost, high value desktop that runs Kubuntu and Ubuntu like a CHARM).

The reason for the new drive? I have a client that still needs work done on Publisher (of all things) and I cannot find an appropriate substitute for Linux-based systems. I’ll keep looking, but for now, I’m going to have a secondary Hard Drive that boots Windows XP.

I refuse to use the Windows Vista that came on the machine. In fact, I never booted the Vista. Not even once. I immediately wiped the drive and loaded up Linux. It never burped — so if you want a cool, low priced machine with lots of power for your favorite flavor of Ubuntu … this one works.

Of course, if I’m going to have XP on a hard drive, I also want to run Sims and keep my iTunes library (connected to my multi-media external drive) on the machine as well. :O)
I dread all the extra upkeep, Linux has spoiled me in the security arena.

If you have loaded up a version of XP and find that several of the drivers are missing (note the large yellow question marks when you right click on “My computer” and select “Manage” and look at the hardware devices).

Under “Other Devices” I had non-functioning status for the following:

• Other PCI Bridge Device
• PCI Device
• PCI Simple Communication Controller
• SM Bus Controller
• Unknown Device
• Video Controller

And, since I couldn’t get on the Internet to find the drivers I need (network needs a driver too), I had to reboot over to Linux to find the solution. (surprise, surprise)

The emachines download/support page was no help (they only offer the Vista versions).

I found the following drivers to fix the problems.

• Video controller from NVIDIA: Forceware Release 169
• Ethernet driver: nForce 430/410/405/400 – Windows XP/2000 32-Bit
• Audio driver: Realtek High Definition Audio Driver v. R1.76

Now, my Windows hard drive is booting properly, has all the updates and all drivers are working. I’ll be doing a bit more tweaking on this dual system in the near future, but I’m much closer now!

Hope this helps others looking to solve these issues all in one place.

I’ve been battling with the frustration of having a Thunderbird application that shuns it’s brother, Firefox, in my Kubuntu install.

Whenever I click on a link in an email, Konquer launches. I don’t like Konquer. I like Firefox. Firefox has all my cool add-ons and the tools I know. It wastes my time and frustrates me to look (in vain) for my tools before realizing that I’m staring at a Konquer window.

Setting Firefox as the default for Kubuntu didn’t work. Nothing I’ve tried before today worked. After searching high and low for some 5 months now, I finally found the answer.

Whoo-Hooo!!! Today is a GOOD day. (I’m a simple woman, it doesn’t take much to make me ecstatic.)

If you want to have Firefox launch, you have to make this change from inside Thunderbird itself in Linux: (more…)

If you use Kubuntu and you want a command line string to easily backup the entire Linux system on an external hard drive (for regular backups as well as offsite backups), without encountering recursive errors, permission problems and other headaches, try using this TAR command from Konsole: (more…)

If you (like me) have considered incorporating on multiple occasions, you may be interested in some information about the tax and simplicity benefits of staying ’solo’ in the legal organization of your business.

Learn more about tax benefits for sole proprietorships.

Some words are difficult to differentiate. For those with who struggle with how to use “ensure” vs. “assure” vs. “insure,” I offer the following information:

To “assure” a person of something is to make him or her confident of/about it.

According to the Associated Press Stylebook, to “ensure” that something happens is to make certain that it does.

To “insure” is to issue an insurance policy.

Simplicity is the key to effective communication. When you give someone your business card, you want them to remember your name, what you do and be able to contact you (or recommend you to someone else). You also hope that your meeting (in person or virtual) is a memorable one.

If you have a business website or a blog site, you don’t need to go into detail on your business card, you just need to give them a way to get more information. That’s enough.

I’ve dropped using a physical address on my own business cards. After all, in my business, does it really matter where I live and work? Nope. It only matters that people can call me, email me and visit me online to learn more — if they are so inclined.

(more…)

Mom sent me this information today (via email) and it was pretty interesting. I knew not to put water on grease in a kitchen fire, but I didn’t realize the full impact of why until I watched this video on fire safety in the kitchen.

It’s haunting.

I have been working with my own personal “Linux coach” lately — aka Keith Burton. He’s a family friend and a bloody genius when it comes to all things technical. I go to my father, usually, when I have a weighty tech/hardware question. Pops and Keith use each other as resources on different topics and individual special areas of interest. Having them both available is one of the things that makes my life easier.

Keith has helped me to solve several Linux issues that have been bugging the crap outta me. I’ll be sharing some of the wisdom he’s passed on to me as well as some that I’ve picked up from Pops, some discovered on my own and some through online research in this and upcoming Linux posts.

First, the thing you need to know when you get everything tweaked just the way you want it — a FULL system backup! Although I’m still in the market for a GUI version, this command line will do the trick to get my system backed up to an external drive. (more…)

Writing good quality web content is the key to natural, cost-effective, organic search optimization. You know it. You know you need to do it. But you would prefer a root canal… without “happy gas” or anesthesia.

Honestly!

The article or blog won’t write itself. So you try. Scowl-faced and miserable, you SIT there. You stare at the blank page of your word processing program. You decide you are hungry. Thirsty. Need to potty. Need to check your email… forgot to feed the dog/cat/children.

STOP! Writing doesn’t need to be scary and it shouldn’t be your most dreaded task. You just need a little inspiration and a few tips.

Always Prepare Yourself

Like all things, writing skill improves with practice — and that requires getting started.

You don’t want to begin with strikes against you, so you should make sure you are physically comfortable. Don’t wait until you are already tired. Begin when you are well-fed, with and empty bladder and a beverage in arm’s reach. Pick your most creative time – whatever particular time of the day when you are usually most productive.

BEWARE: Don’t get so busy “preparing” that you never actually start. Give yourself a time limit to “settle-in” and begin writing.

Begin with what matters to you

It’s much easier to write compelling copy when your topic interests you. If you know you need to write regularly, keep a notepad or folder (digital or paper) with URLs/thoughts/topics/photos/video clips – anything that you have found interesting in recent days.

Doing this means you will have a storehouse of interesting blog or article fodder at all times. If you are feeling creative, you can even write these items on small cards and drop them into a “topic bank” or a plain jar on your desk.

When it is time to write a blog, you can pull out three cards and pick the one that intrigues you most. You now have a topic!

BEWARE: Procrastination pitfalls are everywhere! Don’t become so busy reviewing all the cards that you never begin writing. Don’t “surf the net” for some ideas – it will take you down rabbit holes that will leave you without a paragraph written and without any time left to write.

Control your research time

Once you have a topic, you may be able to write the entire piece in one sitting… be it a blog or an article. Remember, however, that quality links and a bit of little-known foundational information will make your writing stronger and more useful to your readers. But unless you are a walking wikipedia, you will probably need to do a little research.

BEWARE: Avoid casually surfing the web for the answers you need when researching your topic. Instead, you should diligently seek them out. Be on a mission. Set a time limit for this discovery process and stick to it.

Come out with three good, solid points to set up the structure for any article. Any less and you won’t adequately cover the topic, any more and you may meander.

You may want to implement a list-format article/blog if you are at a loss for more comprehensive copy.

• Consider using the “Top 5” items or “Top Ten Tips” approach to flesh out the topic
• Offer a list of resources related to your topic with a synopsis of each
• Brainstorm about your topic, make a list, and organize your thoughts
• Consider mind-mapping if you respond well to visual organization techniques
• Overshoot the number of items you want, and cull for the best of the bunch

Discard those that don’t “fit” with the article or blog you are writing … or add them to your blog fodder jar for next time.

After you have written your piece, read it aloud to check for “flow” and double check spelling and grammar.

Now send it to a trusted colleague or friend for critical review. Make sure you ask someone who will offer an honest critique and some suggestions for improvement. Make the changes you feel are valid and post it to the web.

Finally, take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back and push away from the desk for a few minutes. Relish the fact that you finished your writing task!

Yup! It’s being done. And there are new, more creative ways to get your ebooks all the time. I’ve been following some of the methods, but most leave you with tiny, ugly notepad typestyles.

Then I found this particular ebooks for iphone video, which gives a great overview of using the PDF download functionality alongside Safari to have a fully illustrated and scaleable ebook on the iphone. Not sloppy! (more…)

I’ve decided to start sharing some of the cool blog sites I find during the week. I find great blogs all the time, and I keep MEANING to share, but I usually just subscribe to the RSS or bookmark them in my “Excellent Blogs” folder on Firefox and get back to work.

Later, I may get organized into “theme” blogs for my Saturday posts. For now, they are coming at you all pell-mell because I can’t be bothered with organization today (it’s Saturday for goodness’ sake).

Starting today, I share! (more…)

I’ve already posted a few things I wish I had on the iPhone. Today, I sent those, along with the new list (below) to www.apple.com/feedback, in the hopes that they would listen up.

I love my iPhone, I really do — and just a few software tweaks would make it so much better. So I took the time…

(more…)

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If I were starting my business now, with the benefit of the wisdom I’ve gained along the way, I would do a few things differently.

For instance, I’d select my ideal client type first. I wouldn’t try to serve everyone – or anyone – just to get a business started. I would have been pickier in the early, lean months despite my appetite for those first clients and I would have listened to my “gut” when it told me to decline a project.

I know now that if I’d done this one thing, that I’d have developed a healthy, sustaining and profitable online business faster… with far less pain.

I firmly believe that helping others is the best possible way to success. I’m a Karma girl. My business was built with a four-pillar foundation:

1. I maintained my faith in my own ability
2. I offered the best individualized service possible
3. I worked tirelessly (and didn’t give up even when things seemed hopeless)
4. I stayed abreast of new developments in my industry and my client industries

Recently, I asked some of my peers to share their best advice for those just starting out. I think you will enjoy the following wisdom from those who have “been there, done that” as full-time career outsourcing services providers.

Question: Who should begin this career? How can I know if it’s a good fit for me?

Answer: (Katie Baird of LooseEnds.net)

I guess the first thing I’d ask is: “How comfortable would you be with completely remodeling and building a house on your own?”

If you are able to juggle all those details, you would probably be a good candidate for this career path.

If you aren’t comfortable with that, if the thought of everything coming at you all at once makes you want to hide, you should probably consider keeping a more traditional job or remain a subcontractor and plan to assist other entrepreneurs rather than dealing directly with clients and building your own business.

Question: What do I need to know first?

Answer: (Karen Drebes of CoordinatorGroup.com)

You have to know the products and programs you plan to use to serve your clients. The more you know, the more money you will make and the less time it will take you to complete projects.

Educate yourself about what you want to provide. This career path is not a “wing-it” situation. You need to have the experience before offering services. You can’t learn on the clients time (or on their dime) and you have to bring something to their party.

You can’t just decide to go into business, hang out your virtual “shingle” without preparation and expect to make a living.

Question: How would you recommend I determine out what services to offer?

Answer: (JJ Murphy of WriterByNature.com)

Base your services on what you know and what you most love. I would recommend that you attempt to subcontract first to get an idea of what the industry standards are and what’s expected from you by successful peers and future clients.

This would also help you identify your strengths, your weaknesses and you get a “built in” mentor for the people that you are helping with overflow. It’s a great learning experience and helps you to build important professional relationships. In this way you can also find out what services are hard to secure and which ones are in highest demand in your choice industry.

Join a networking group of people who were already successful. That’s what I was told to do and it’s what I did – and that made all the difference.

Question: What should I know about selecting equipment for my office?

Answer: (Jeri Winkler of TheSecretAssistant.com)

Having the right equipment for your area of expertise is important. Since I do a lot of mailings, a good printer and paper folder are essential for me. Of course you need a good phone (which is easier said than done) and a good computer (one that is up-to-date, not something that’s a hand-me-down). Treat your business like a business from the beginning.

The one thing that I couldn’t live without now is my wireless router. Now I can take my laptop outside and work in my Gazebo or anywhere else in (or out of) the house – without dragging wires along behind me.

I work long hours and it’s difficult to sit at my desk all day long. The router makes me portable and comfortable.

Question: How can I fast-track myself for success as a new provider?

Answer: (Evy Williams of BrochuresByDesign.com)

Networking with other outsourcing providers and associations is the most important thing you can do. When I networked with others, my business bloomed.

Get your name out there and talk to people, volunteer, and stay visible to enjoy the quickest way to success. For me, it was like a domino effect and I am still feeling the effects of that from when I started four years ago!

Question: What else do I need to know to be successful?

Answer: (Judy Vorfeld of EditingAndWritingServices.com)

Know yourself. Know what you have to offer. Be passionate about your career and nail things down by analyzing yourself and your goals. Create a good business and marketing plan that projects 3-5 years into the future. Take the time required to promote your business, so others know you and know what you have to offer.

Networking is key. I’ve learned so much from fellow virtual assistants over the years and have done my part to help others. I’ve hired other VAs, have shared clients and have been hired by peers. These days, things are changing too fast for people to try and go it alone.

Be willing to analyze your target market, and then when you open for business, always give clients more than they expect. This is sometimes difficult, but there are always life lessons that may be of value later. Keep a good attitude at all times.

Continue to improve your skills and always make time for a balanced personal life… away from the office.

Question: What about pricing my services? Any suggestions on how to do make a real living as a virtual assistant?

Answer: (Lynne Norris of NorrisBusinessSolutions.com)

Don’t under price your services. In the beginning, I took work I didn’t really want for less money than I should have because I was desperate – or I thought I was. The problem was long term, because it’s difficult – and sometimes impossible – to get those early clients raised to a proper rate later.

I wish I had taken more time to determine a living wage from the beginning, that took into account the cost of doing business, the non-billable hours required to run the business and the actual value of the time I was spending to serve clients.

Don’t give up. These days, I turn away work, but it took almost four years for me to wise up and make the decision to work with only those people I adore and accept only those projects I really love.

Question: What about doing the books? Do I have to do them myself?

Answer: (Kimberley Thomas-Catanzaro of On-LineSecretary.com)

You need to be organized. You should not procrastinate in doing essential tasks, especially things like your books. If you don’t have the time or desire to do the tasks that need to be done, hire someone. Learn to delegate. Keep excellent records.

The biggest problem I see is people trying to do their books themselves, and (come tax time) it has to be reentered, recreated from scratch, or reviewed for errors – all under a time crunch.

Question: What’s the secret to being happy working as a VA or freelancer?

Answer: (Bronwyn Robertson of TheArtsVa.com)

Know your clients. That’s most important. You have to know who you plan to serve. Beyond that, my best advice is to set a livable wage and stick to it and make sure you have a good contract. And the one that was the toughest for me in the early years… always decline work that doesn’t appeal.

Question: How do I know if a client is a good match?

Answer: (Jodi Diehl of SunfrogServices.com)

Do an interview to make sure you are comfortable before entering into a relationship. Do not accept every project that walks in the front door. It’s ok to say no. No matter how hard it is to get clients in the beginning, you shouldn’t accept just any client. Success depends on synergy and compatibility.

Question: How can I make a living serving only those clients that “appeal” to me?

Answer: (George Montgomery of BusinessAndTaxPlanning.com)

Keep track of the income and where your clients and customers come from. Fill their needs and keep them happy. Determine your skills and make sure that they match.

If that’s not what you really want to do, transition your business to serve what you enjoy. Take the business where YOU want to go and do what YOU want to do.

We all hope our experiences will help you as you begin your own path as an entrepreneur. If you are ready to start your business, there’s no better time than now.

“Leap and the net will appear”
- Zen saying

Here’s the press release for the event:

(Lexington, KY, USA) July 17, 2007 – Have you ever considered working for yourself? Want to know the truth about the virtual assistant industry? Want to know if it’s the right path for you? The outsourcing business is booming and solopreneurs are creating successful careers by marketing their skills online. RemoteProfessionals.com, (www.Remoteprofessionals.com), a networking organization for independent service providers, is hosting a free panel discussion teleconference event to answer questions of those new to the industry and those interested in learning more about this career path. (more…)