Listen to find out what is a Virtual Assistant is, what a ‘usual’ day is for me (no day is the same!) and how current employees can work remotely.

Thank you Robert Lavigne of TDGv Studios for the opportunity and interviewing me.

Any comments or questions are welcome! Enjoy!

What is it?

It’s the newest social sharing tool that has taken off in 2012. According to Pinterest’s website, “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

Businesses are using Pinterest to drive traffic to their website. Just another fun way to engage your customers!

How do I start?

Right now it is by invite only, so you can request an invite on their home page: http://pinterest.com/ or if you have friends already using it, ask them to send you an invite!

Now what?

When I started my Pinterest board, I was given an invite through Facebook, so it connected with me with my Facebook friends that already use Pinterest.

Under Settings, you may choose to turn ON the link to Facebook, Add Pinterest to Facebook; and link to your Twitter account.

The Settings area is where you may add a blurb about yourself (if you wish), a link to your website; and an image of yourself that can be synced with either your Facebook or Twitter account!

This is what my Board looks like now:

In the top left area, under your name, it shows how many people are following you and who you are following (similar to Twitter).  Each Board you can edit the title, description, who can pin to this board, the category; and if you wish to delete the board.

In the top right area, under your name is where you can invite your friends, find Pinterest friends, go to your Boards, Pins & Likes, and edit your Settings 

How do I add items to my Boards?

Clicking on the ADD + button in the top right corner will bring up:

Click Add a Pin to paste a website url address

Click Upload a Pin to add an image from your computer (no files, just images!)

Click Create a Board allows you add new board and who can pin to it, yourself or yourself or contributors

Have fun pinning!

In this electronic age, sending e-thank you’s seems fast & easy. However we really remember those thank you cards that we receive in our mailbox, we can place them on our desk to show off, or re-read to bring a smile to our face.

When to send?
Here is a general list on when to send a simple thank you card:

• receive an unexpected gift
• a wedding gift
• gift during your hospital stay
• a bridal or baby shower gift
• acts of kindness performed for your benefit
• funeral sympathy letters and flowers

Sending a thank you card 1 week after receiving the gift or thoughtful act, is a good time frame.

The Recipe of a Thank You Card:

1. Address & greet the receipent {Dear Jane, I hope all is well with you}
2. Say thank you referring to the act or gift received; you can mention the item and how you have benefited from it or the act {Thank you for the pretty set of tea cups. I can’t wait to sit down and have a wonderful cup of Earl Gray!}
3. Suggest or mention a future meeting. End the card with a closing remark and your signature {I’ll have to have you over for lunch again, soon. Warm regards, Kate}

Tips:

• Did you receive $$$? avoid mentioning the amount. Instead say how you are going to use the money, gift certificate, etc. for a new savings account, education fund. No need to mention that you will use the funds to splurge on a new pair of shoes!
• Don’t like the gift? No need to tell, worse is to lie about it in the card, and in the future they ask have you used it!

Sources:
Here is a list of places I purchase my thank you cards:

• my local Chapters Indigo Books & Music Inc. ~ check out their clearance section
• Zellers
• Local craft sales, support your local artist! Ask if they can make you thank you cards with your logo/picture on them!

Happy Thanksgiving! and Thank You for reading my blog! I appreciate it ~ Salma

1. Change your computer’s wallpaper (when’s the last time you changed it?)
2. Walk around the block (check out the changes in your neighbour’s gardens)
3. Drink some hot apple cider with a stick of cinnamon…yum!
4. Switch your soap to a fall type scent ~ pumpkin, cinnamon, caramel apple (check out the yummy soaps at Bath & Body Works)
5. BACKUP your computer, laptop… to a external drive, memory stick, CD, DVD

What things do you do to welcome in the new season? Please post in the comments section! thanks!

Qrafter
Qrafter scanned the QR code even if it was a bit fuzzy, then you have options to open the URL, send to Twitter, Facebook.

QRReader
Tried to scan the same QR Code (WagJag.com) and it would not pick it up. Moved it closer, farther, still didn’t work. Have you had success with QRReader?

i-nigma
I scanned  the same QR Code (WagJag.com) and it was successful.

In summary, I like i-nigma & Qrafter. What readers for the iPhone do you like?

Billing Boss – http://www.billingboss.com/
A free service for invoicing. You can upload your contact list or add it separately. Billing Boss will email invoices and make a PDF version. Clients can pay online or pay with PayPal, just click to pay! Unfortunately you cannot make a custom invoice, and it won’t track your time. There are additional items that cost to connect them. Mobile version is a cost and you can do it from your phone! Can allow others to run reports.
Recommended by Janet Barclay

Doodle – http://doodle.com/
Doodle offers a basic free service, a free account to connect your personal calendar, and ad-free premium services with advanced functionality. All accessible from anywhere, anytime.
Recommended by Angela Spisak

Dropbox – http://www.dropbox.com/
Great place to share documents with clients. I have different folders for each and they can only accesstheir folder. 2GB of Dropbox for free, with subscriptions up to 100GB available.
Recommended by Salma Burney

Echosign – http://www.echosign.com/
Free for contracts and agreements. Upload your agreement, send them an email, then you get an email that your client has signed it. You can download the PDF with the electronic signature. Free up to 5 signatures per month. Uploading a document, making changes to a document, and sending a document for signature are included in the 5 transactions with a free account. The 5 transactions are tracked within a 30 day rolling window from the time the free account is activated.
Recommended by Janet Barclay

Hardware: 2nd monitor
A second monitor connected to your computer, so you can have email on one screen, and QuickBooks open another screen. You can drag open windows from one monitor to the other.
Recommended by Jacquie Manore

Infusionsoft – http://www.infusionsoft.com/
Better than 1shoppingcart. It puts customers on a promo list, takes them off easily. Infusionsoft’s customer service is very good.
Recommended by Angela Spisak

Mailchimp – http://mailchimp.com/
No cost for up to 2,000 contacts! Low cost compared to others. Has a lot more plug-ins, opt-in forms for your blog or website. Has a hook-up to sign up through your Facebook page. You can send out 6 email blasts per month free. Easy templates.
Recommended by Crystal Burkholder

Meetingwizard – http://www.meetingwizard.com/
Free and low-cost options. Easy to get started. No downloads required. Integrated with MicrosoftOutlook™
Recommended by Peggy Stegmaier

QuickBooks – http://quickbooks.intuit.ca/accounting-software/index.jsp
Small Business Accounting Software for Canadians. With over 4 million users worldwide, QuickBooks is the #1 best-selling accounting software in North America. (Based on NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service in Canada and the U.S. from July 2009 through July 2010 for desktop software only.)
Recommended by Jacquie Manore

Roboform – http://www.roboform.com/
A password manager website. It works like a bookmark. There is one called RoboForm Everywhere that supports mobile devices. You can password protect it for opening the files. It will pop up and ask if you wish to save it. Free up to 10 logins.
Recommended by Janet Barclay

SendOutCards – https://www.sendoutcards.com/rebeccafollows/
SendOutCards’ convenient system lets you send that birthday, anniversary or thank you card without the hassle of pen, paper, stamps, envelopes or mailboxes. Sending a card has never been so easy! With just the click of a button, you can choose your custom card, add a personal photo, write your message and click send. We print, stuff, stamp and mail the physical card for you.
Recommended by Salma Burney

Surveymonkey – http://www.surveymonkey.com/
Surveymonkey is great when compiling a simple survey, it’s confidential and the free version is very good.
Recommended by Manda
WordPress Videos – http://www.wp101.com/
WordPress videos for SEO video resources. They are very clear and easy to understand and to follow through.
Recommended by Debbie Lapointe

Zoominfo – http://www.zoominfo.com/
From their website: “We are the leading provider of business information and the market’s only source of just verified, in-depth profiles on millions of businesses and employees.”
Recommended by Peggy Stegmaier

Does your business use a VA?

Laurie Meyer, Successful Office Solutions
Salma Burney, Virtual Girl Friday (ME! )
Jacquie Manore, Workload Solution Services Inc.

Also, Mr. Dave Howlett, from Real Human Being.org,  will present a 15-minute portion of his “How to Connect (Like a Real Human Being) presentation. You really don’t want to miss Dave speaking!

Thanks so much to our SPONSORS!
Energy Savings Powergard
Techno Metal Post Oakville

Want to be a sponsor, please let me know

These are called a QR code.  QR stands for Quick Reference.

Wilkipedia’s website says, “QR Code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. Common in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the abbreviation for Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.”

How do I get one?
The one shown is mine. I designed mine at the website: pingtags.com

So what do I do with it?
Add it to your flyers, marketing material. I’ve added to my business card. So anyone with a smartphone can scan it with a an App, which then connects them to my LinkedIn profile.

How do I scan it?
I use a free app for my iPhone: QR scanner app. This one scans the QR efficiently, then asks if you wish to go online. Once online mine shows my picture, a summary of what I do, option button to Connect via LinkedIn, my contact information and link to my website.

Try it out & let me know what you think!

The purpose of my blog is to be your GO TO GIRL, a.k.a. the person you ask how to do this, where can I find this, etc.

I will pass along to you websites I use & love, resources (online & offline), local happenings, tips & tricks I use and have learned in my 20+ years as an Executive/Administrative Assistant, in a clear simple manner. K.I.S.S.! J

And I want this blog to be really interactive, so if you have a question…ASK! I will find out for you. And if you know the answer to another person’s question, please join in the conversation.

This is a journey that will have bumps, detours, and aha moments along the way, so come along and enjoy the ride!

Salma