iGoogle, do you Google!?
Google is a pretty awesome thing. There is no need for me to link to Google, or explain what Google is. It’s basically even become a verb - don’t tell me you don’t Google your potential clients!
The number of tools Google has available are amazing. I thought it would be interesting to hear what other VAs use Google for. Here’s my list:
- Google Docs - Connie McVicker and I use this to collaboratively write our ebooks.
- Google Reader - This is where I get my favorite RSS feeds.
- Gmail - Does anyone not have a gmail account? It’s wonderful.
- Google Calendar - Note to self - sync calendar with Outlook calendar. Great tool.
- iGoogle - Customized homepage, where I can get my local weather, news of choice (based on topic) and even find out what time the sun will set.
- Google Analytics - To find out how many visitors I’m getting to my site.
- Google Search - Kind of goes without saying.
So, what do you use Google for?
Online collaboration tool
I made a post about my new favorite program in my own personal blog, but thought I would share it here with all of my fellow VAs.
It’s called Client Spot. It’s an online collaboration tool for virtual assistants to use with their clients. I just love it. It does cost some money, but I can add my team members and clients as well as projects and files. Each project is it’s own little area, and all tasks and files associated with the project is in the same place…which was lacking from another tool I’d tried.
It’s extremely easy to use, and there is a calendar which is saving my life. I can see at a glance what items are do for which client, so I’m improving my over all efficiency.
Between Client Spot and the fact that I’ve recently acquired a VA to handle my own incoming email, I feel like a brand new woman!
I don’t know why I haven’t done this sooner.
If you’re looking for a tool to help manage your work flow, check it out.
Such a friendly industry!
I’ll be honest. When I started my virtual assistance business, Mann Made Time, I was worried about the hundreds of other VAs I would be in competition with. If you’re a ‘newbie’ virtual assistant, you might also feel these pangs of worry about all of the other freelance administrative professionals that are more established than you are. You might be worried about your competition. I think it’s only natural for a business owner to worry about their competitors. But…the VA industry is different than any other I know of. I don’t see my fellow VAs as competitors anymore. Not really.
Because our industry is relatively new, we must all work together to educate the world about what we do - the services we provide. If you are a new VA, you might find it strange how other VAs are so willing to help you out when you need advice. At all of our networking forums, you have VAs offering marketing advice. In how many other industries can you find business owners in direct competition with each other offering marketing tips? We mention each other in blogs, leading our potential clients right to other VAs sites. We help each other with press releases and other marketing pieces.
Why? I believe it’s because successful VAs know that there are more than enough clients to go around. Most of us are working hard to promote our industry, and the more great VAs in the world spreading the word about what they do, the more people will learn about us.
I live in Canada’s smallest province, and when I started my business, I was the only VA here. Now I know of three others. When I first heard that there was another local VA, I didn’t think about how that could hurt my business. I thought about how it could, in fact, help my business. One more soul to educate PEI and the world about virtual assistance.
Revolutionary VAs don’t see other VAs as a threat, they try to learn from them and think of ways we can all work together to bring virtual assistance mainstream.
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