Ways to advertise your Blog

I came across this article at ezine as I was researching ways on how to advertise this blog. The title of the article is How to Advertise Your Blog by Fauzi Mohd Darus. The information is laid out neatly and is being presented in a very simple manner. I learned the following suggestions from this article:

Join bloggers forum
Visit Other Blogs
Submit to Blog Directory
Signature in Email
Join Exchange Link Program
Public Bookmarking
Submit to Search Engine
Ping your Site

I am familiar with some of the tips given like joing bloggers forum, visiting other blogs and leave comments and I believe this is what they call blog commenting, submitting to blog directory, putting your blog url in your email signature and public bookmarking.

I still ought to learn about Link Exchange, submitting to search engine and pinging your site. I am familiar with Link Exchange and submitting to search engines but i am not really knowledgeable enough how to start doing so. Pinging your site it is definitely new to me.

I guess i need more researching.

Difference of a Blog and a Website

As i was in the process of researching about blogs, I realized which should be better to put up. Would it be a blog site or the more conventional website?

I've collected few data that compares blogs to websites. I'm sure this is not complete and there are more to be added in this list.

1. Blogs are easily created and published. You can easily create a blog for free simply by signing up to blogger or wordpress. You can change the appearance of your blog pages in no time with just a click of a few buttons. You just write and publish.

2. Blogs can easily be updated compared to websites. Thus, blogs provide newer information than websites.

3. Blogs also get online presence through visitors from other blogs when they give their comments or reviews about a certain post or topic. So, collaboration among bloggers and readers is evident in blog sites. Thus, topics posted in blogs can provoke varying personal comments, opinions that leads to an interactive discussion.

So, in my case, i would rather put up a blog of my own rather than a website for now. It's more cost-friendly and easier for me to set up because i'm not very knowledable about website creations and how i can get it work.

Learning to Blog and Make Money out of It

I am currently on the process on learning how to blog successfully and earn a little something from that effort. Well, it sure isn't easy, especially, for me, who isn't really good at writing. But, i really want to learn how to do this.

Hmm..Wish me luck..

WELCOME

Welcome to QVA4Less!

QVA4Less is a group of professionals in the Philippines, skilled, educated and trained in various ways intended to service diverse needs of business individuals -- this is a dream I am working on right now. At this time, it is only I working independently as a Virtual Assistant but as this business grows I should be looking to invite some more interested individuals to join my team. I am looking to invite accountants, legal officers, teachers, bookkeepers, engineers and clerks who choose to work “virtual” or “remote” to service a wider variety of clientele globally at our home office by means of the different innovatively-designed technology of the century-- computers, the web, internet software and tools.

I know by heart how significant and complex running a business is. Rest assured I will treat your business just like my own -- delicately aggressive to attain efficiency in every assigned administrative task to yield a more productive, successful and effective business.

I am a professional with different expertise and capabilities who can work in different areas of your business, may it be in your accounting, administrative, marketing or human resource department or even become your personal assistant.

I have my home office thus I obtain the convenience and flexibility in my operations. Having me work in the Philippines gives you the power to keep the business operation running even while you’re sleeping.

Let me handle those time-consuming petty administrative tasks while you take care of the more important elements of your business. Partner with me and I can assure you first-class, reliable and efficient service. I value your time and money. So, rest assured I will make the most of the hours you invest with QVA4Less.

Starting from Scratch as an Independent Virtual Assistant

Having to work 3 years as Virtual Assistant in a Filipino-Owned Company, sure was a rewarding experience. I started without even knowing how to create and send an email or even answer a phone. I thought the 3 months of comprehensive call center training was enough to get me started working in a virtual world with U.S. based clients -- but it was a big mistake. It takes a whole lot more of confidence and lots of exposure to be able to carry out work assertively not to mention the academic competence on the subject matter being performed.

3 years isn't enough, i know, but at least i have already gained knowledge, experience and confidence to carry out tasks virtually. Now, i am happy serving 15 clients, all based in US, and is more than happy to receive good feedbacks about my services so far.

Freelance Switch Calculator for Virtual Assistants

I came across this forum site for Virtual Assistants and find the forum very informative. It helps fellow Virtual Assistants improve their services and be aware of new skills which one might want to develop in themselves. It offers new softwares, programs that Virtual Assistants can take advantage to like the interesting hourly rate calculator, from the freelance switch website. It is a very useful program that let’s you compute how much one should be charging per hour based on the Virtual Assistant’s office and personal expenses. Find out more about this valuable tool for Virtual Assistants at http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/.

What does a Virtual Assistant do?

The Virtual Assisting business has been making noise for quite some time now. In the Business Process Outsourcing venture in the Philippines, virtual assisting has been another addition to the more popular call centers and medical transcription business enterprises. A lot must be wondering what Virtual Assistants do. If call center agents receive calls for orders or complaints and process orders and medical transcriptionists transcribe voice recordings then how does a virtual assistant function in a certain business?

Below is a list of tasks, I, as a Virtual Assistant has been doing for almost 4 years now. I will discuss every one of it in a separate blog in the coming days.

- phone/email/chat support
- preparing documents and spreadsheets
- sending and receiving emails
- email management
- voicemail retrieval
- receiving inbound calls and making outbound calls
- transcribing minutes of meetings and dictations
- online research
- appointment setting
- data entry/data processing
- simple/basic bookkeeping
- technical/creative writing
- researching flight schedules
- processing orders and shipments online
- CRM Management
- Blog Commenting
- internet marketing

Qualitfications of a Virtual Assistant

Being a virtual assistant is a competitive one. Engaging in the virtual assisting profession requires a certain degree of intelligence which means that certain qualifications are needed in order to meet the demands of business processes outsourcing.

The following are just a few of the common skills and capabilities a virtual assistant must possess in order to be effective and successful in the virtual assisting venture.

1. Excellent in communication skill

Communication is the key to an effective relay of instructions between the client and the virtual assistant. Virtual assistants are usually contacted through email or phone. So, it is a must to be proficient in both oral and written communication to be able to convey the right information to the client.

2. Efficient in creating system.

Systematic operation in carrying out tasks is one of the main ingredients in order to follow the flow of the business cycle efficiently. Generating a strong system in accomplishing virtual assistant tasks is crucial especially when the virtual assistant is performing multiple tasks from different clients.

3. Proficient in using computer.

The continuous innovation of modern technology is one thing, us, human beings cannot control. Being aware of what is new in the market would greatly help a virtual assistant know the pros and cons of using such innovation. The proper use as well as the proper care is needed to minimize the risk of encountering problems in the future.

If you are looking to be a virtual assistant, you may start asking yourself if you possess these attributes. Feel free to add what you think is or are included in the list. There should be more in this list, I’m sure. Different virtual assistants have different qualifications and have their own effective systematic approach to dealing with client tasks. We’d love to hear from you and learn from each other.

Virtual Assistants Engaging In Social Networking

There are various ways on how to market your virtual assisting services. One of the most used internet marketing tool nowadays is what is called social networking. MySpace and Facebook are just two of the largest networking sites anybody from all walks of life sign up to. As time passes by, social networking has not just become an activity to meet other people for the purpose of meeting more friends, but has become one of the most powerful tools that online businesses, like virtual assisting, use to market their products and services.

As a virtual assistant, social networking is a way to meet people with the same interests as you do. Once you have your Myspace or Facebook account created, you can set up your profile, upload your photos and share your interest through your blog to millions and millions of individuals around the world. This way, you are able to meet like-minded individuals giving you the opportunity to generate traffic to your blog or website and be known to individuals needing virtual assistant services.

Because of its popularity, social networking sites have grown to hundreds. It’s a good technique to focus on just a couple of large and popular social networking sites than having to sign up and participate in small social networking groups.

So, if you’re also a virtual assistant, spend a few hours of your day to doing this fun activity and grow your network of friends, fellow virtual assistants and clients.

Virtual Assistant Basic Needs

• Website or a Blog. If you’re in a budget, having a blog of your own will do. Building a website though is more professional to look at. Why do a Virtual Assistant need one? This will serve as the VA’s office. This is where potential clients find the VA and ask about the services. So, make sure to have sufficient and informative content in your website or blog.
• Time and Patience. Just like any other online businesses, putting up Virtual Assistance services requires a lot of time and patience. Getting your website or blog active doesn’t give you an assurance that inquiries will come pouring in a few minutes. You need time to advertise or market your services online. There are lots of places where you can post ads to and introduce what you can do as a Virtual Assistant.
• Phone, Skype Account, Email. This is very self-explanatory. These are simply the bridge where communication happens between the Virtual Assistant and the clients.

These are the only things on top of my head and which I believe are the most basic things you need to get started as a Virtual Assistant. Please feel free to add in more to this list. I’ll post more when I get to finalize and organize my list.

How did I Become A Virtual Assistant?

4 years ago I was hired to be a Virtual Assistant. I never had any idea of what it does. My employer taught me how it’s done and how it works. The main idea about Virtual Assistance that embedded my mind is that “it’s simply working as an assistant for a particular businessman only that you do your work remotely through the use of the internet.” I had to be good at a lot of things that a Virtual Assistant uses. I had to learn to speak the English language perfectly. I had to learn to understand how Americans speak and be able to understand even how slang they speak; I had to learn how to understand instructions fast and correctly and be able to carry them out efficiently. From day 1 of my job to present I am still learning but compared to before, of course, I am now more competent and efficient in carrying out my clients’ tasks. I realized lately it was that simple. I am very happy with what I have become and what I can still be in the future. I have lots of plans. Plans that I hope to realize within this year. I’ll write more about it soon. Stay tuned!!

Working Homebased

In today's internet dominance, working homebased have been making noise over time. The existence of the internet paved way to different opportunities to many people, may it be personal or work related aspects. A lot of people, i'm sure, at this very moment are actually at home, on their couch, in their home-office, on their bed, in the garden. What could they possibly be doing? -- WORKING.

The traditional office is now getting outdated because more and more people are now being given opportunities to work at home by their respective companies. I, for example, have worked in an office before. I worked in a Business Process Outsourcing related office as a Virtual Assistant. After a year, I was given the opportunity to work at home. The office had me use one of the computer units and covered my monthly internet bill and that was the start of it. I'm sure there are people out there who have experienced the same. Aren't we so lucky to be given this opportunity? Yes, we are. Just imagine the flexibility, the family time and convenience we're getting when we're working homebased.But then, of course, there are underlying responsibilities we have to keep in mind and make sure are being met. It doesn't mean we're at home then we can get away with our work responsibilities. We have to make sure that goals related to work are met, schedules are followed; we still have to create a dividing line between family and work. Ensure that our family will not interrupt our work and vise versa. Nevertheless, working homebased, in whatever filled, is surely a fun, convenient and effective way of working.

Twitter

As a Virtual Assistant, I have been on the look out for new marketing tools I can use to spread words about my virtual assisting business. I'm so glad that I came across twitter. A client of mine
have this task of updating her twitter account and I told her I'm not familiar with how it works. My client said it's so simple and allowed me a couple hours to study it. Sure, it's simple and found myself creating an account of my own and started twittering. It's a fun way of marketing my virtual assisting business. In fact, I found other virtual assistants using the service as well.

I find twittering very effective because I have been getting inquiries from people who found me in Twitter. I sure will continue using this service and I strongly recommend this to all virtual assistants or those who are business process outsourcing venture who wants to market their services over the internet.

Customer Support Email Representative

It has been a couple of months back since the last time I wrote up something here. I have been buried with work, work and work. Lots of emails to answer, lots of complaints to resolve. Well, can't really live without these because it's my job as a customer support e-mail representative. I love this job. I have been doing this for 2 years now. I started being a Virtual Assistant 2005 and I started working for this client of mine 2007. Somehow, I come to think of it, these emails have been part of my system already. These are something that run in my blood (oohh..).

Well, just writing what I have in mind now really.

Quality Virtual Assistants 4 Less: What is a Virtual Assistant?

Quality Virtual Assistants 4 Less: What is a Virtual Assistant?

Why hire a Filipino Virtual Assistant?

Hiring a Virtual Assistant based in the Philippines is the wisest and most practical decision you will ever make. Filipino Virtual Assistants are as skillful and able as those in the United States. You don’t have to pay $25 or $30 per hour just to get yourself a VA in the US.

Quality Virtual Assistants 4 Less is a team of Virtual Assistants who are competently willing to be a part of your growing business. A dedicated virtual assistant will be assigned to you already to work on your tasks or projects for as little as $4.00 an hour. Filipino Virtual Assistants are very good conversant in the English language. So, there’s no problem communicating your task instructions project
If you are now decided to hire your VA, Quality Virtual Assistant 4 Less might just be the team of Virtual Assistants you’re looking for. Let’s see how we can work together grow your business. Send us an email at qualityva4less@gmail.com.

Why hire a Virtual Assistant?

There are several reasons why a company or simple business individuals consider hiring a Virtual Assistant rather than getting an employee to work in their office. Some of these reasons are financial in nature and some are simply getting the convenience and satisfaction in working with Virtual Assistants.

The birth of the internet phenomenon opened fruitful opportunities to individuals in the business sectors, particularly the Virtual Assistants. The word Virtual is used as the individual carries out the work virtually or remotely through the use of the internet. Unlike getting an employee to work in your office, a Virtual Assistant invests in for his/her own office materials and finds a place at home to call his/her office. Thus, it saves you on rent and office material expenses. The Virtual Assistant manages his/her own tax, health coverage and other benefits an employer is obligated to give an employee. This fact frees up paper work and saves on fees for paying these benefits in the part of the client, thus, giving the client more time in dealing with most important matters of the business. Other reasons could just be that the client simply finds the efficiency, skill and talent in a Virtual Assistant than a physical employee. Virtual Assistants are professionals who decided to continue their career just at home. So, they simply have the same talent and expertise as what you can get from an employee. Surprisingly, though, in most cases, Virtual Assistants function better than office employees because they have the convenience and flexibility to work at home.

If you are now decided to hire your VA, Quality Virtual Assistant 4 Less might just be the team of Virtual Assistants you’re looking for. Let’s see how we can work together grow your business. Send us an email at qualityva4less@gmail.com.

Thank you.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is a freelancer who works in her own home office providing various office solutions. Virtual assistants can be a mom, a college student, a retired individual or anyone who has his or her own home office equipped with a computer and internet connection. Virtual assistants carry out tasks remotely through the use of the internet. A virtual assistant can carry out tasks from data entry to project management tasks. Virtual assistants receive tasks through email, chat or phone call. The most common means of communication virtual assistants uses though is through email or phone call. Interested client inquires about virtual assistant services through email and discusses what are needed and how the virtual assistant can help carry out common administrative or office processes efficiently. After both parties agree on price and the task requirements are clear, in the case of Quality Virtual Assistants 4 Less, payment needs to be received first before the virtual assistant carry out the task. After completion of task, the virtual assistant then reports to the client with the results of the task, billable hours and remaining hours update.

The Team

For the past weeks, I had been busy (very busy) taking care of my clients' Virtual Assistant tasks. It came to a point that i decided that i needed to invite more people to join my team. Doing so will mean more help in accomplishing tasks and rendering help to those individuals who are needing to get a job to earn as well. Finding people who are computer literate and internet savvy is indeed not an easy job. A lot of people I've tried are either not computer literate or internet savvy. That's why it took me some time to finally hire the top three most computer and internet skilled individuals from among the applicants. I am having them work at my home office at this time as i need to see how they are working on my tasks. This is also to give them further training and guidance on how to efficiently carry out a certain task. A few more months of training and experience will already make them competent virtual assistants.

I am happy to say I am now ready to take in more projects and tasks and more clients. So, if you are interested to try us out you're not just getting the best and efficient virtual assistant services but you're also helping out a lot of people here in the Philippines.

Rates

My hourly rates will depend on the difficulty of the task and the time it will take us to finish. The more hours required/needed the lesser you will pay by the hour. The tasks may vary and can be on an on-going basis or not. You can check out a list of services I offer here http://qva4less.blogspot.com/search/label/SERVICES%20OFFERED.

Please contact me at qualityva4less@gmail.com so we can discuss about my rates.

Thank you.