I seriously am IN LOVE with Gmail. I am a die-hard Microsoft person from way back, but the more and more virus and worm problems, and the constant problems with Microsoft .pst files in Outlook all caused me to start looking for other alternatives a couple of years ago. I tried Thunderbird and several others...nothing … (13 comments)
assistant for real estate: Check Your Website or Blog Against Your Competition...This Real Estate Virtual Assistant Tells You How!
- 10/26/09 07:33 AM
OK...I know we like to say that there is enough business out there to go around, that we don't have to be in competition with one another...that's bull! LOL (I am one of the ones who says that, just so you know!) I have found a service where, for FREE, you can put in your website or blog URL as well as that of one or more of your competitors...and not only will it grade YOUR website, but it will pit your website up against your competition and show you how you measure up! This service is called Website Grader and … (35 comments)
assistant for real estate: It's Fall...and I'm Homesick! What's Fall Mean to YOU?!?
- 10/08/09 07:10 AM
Don't get me wrong, I love living here in Vista, CA (been living here since 1984 now!)...they don't call it the World's Climatic Wonderland for nothing afterall...but I really and truly get a tad bit homesick every year about this time... And mothers know everything. No really, they do. My mom just sent this picture of a dirt road back home, Northern Vermont, to me on my iPhone. Isn't it pretty? Granted, I have tons more from previous years...and waxed leaves...the whole works that she sends me every year...some are artwork quality...this one was just out as she was driving around … (5 comments)
assistant for real estate: WordTracker Announced a New eBook Today...At A Discount.
- 10/08/09 05:41 AM
The book is titled: "Blogging for Business - 50 Steps to Building Traffic and Sales." and if you buy it before the 14th of October I believe, the price is discounted $10...down to $29...not bad for 163 pages of good stuff. I wrote a more detailed post about the ebook on my actual website, I am trying to learn to divide my blogging time between both sites, so if you are interested... Visit my Real Estate Virtual Assistant Website and Read My Blog Post With Details About This Book. I will tell you this here though...my favorite feature of this ebook … (2 comments)
assistant for real estate: Tipsy Tuesday - 5 Ways to Get More Readers to Your Blog / CC Martini (Feel Like A Kid Again!)
- 09/29/09 06:41 AM
TIP: 5 Ways to Get More Readers to Your Blog As a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, blogging, and how to make it more effective are one of the topics most often discussed with my clients. Here are 5 Ways to Get More Readers to Your Blog: You've had this drilled into you since you were a little kid..."mind your Ps and Qs"...once you do have a reader visit your blog and leave a comment...if possible, reciprocate - find your way back to their blog, read some posts, comment...thank them for visiting your blog about XYZ (you can leave a link in … (2 comments)
assistant for real estate: My Contact Form is NOT For...
- 09/24/09 02:30 AM
Hi, everyone...just a quick rant here this morning...I know I can't be the only one out there who has their contact form (which is meant for client and preclient contact) abused by spammers. So I thought this would be a fun blog to see how many dumb things people hijack our contact forms for. Here's mine:
Job Applications! - I am a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, not a staffing service, I am not going to hire you! If I do occasionally need to outsource some work, I will do so to other professionals who I have met via online networking … (8 comments)
As a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, I am often asked about how to improve blog performance and how to get the readers to be interactive. Well, here are three tips to get you moving in the right direction: If you're just starting out and your blog looks as sparse as the wide open terrain on the moon, then perhaps it is time to enlist the help of those closest to you within your sphere of influence. Send out an email announcing your blog and ask them to … (10 comments)
assistant for real estate: Bought Myself A New Website...Based on WordPress...Theme Created By Fabulous Designer!
- 09/17/09 08:22 AM
I am so excited...I have been waiting to unveil my new Real Estate Virtual Assistant site for quite some time now and I think that we finally have all the kinks out of it!!! I belong to a list of fabulous web designers who frequently post their work for site checks prior to launching their clients' new sites...and I get to see a lot of designers' work that way. Lots of them are great, but few of them speak to me...but one designer has, I admired her work for years, her work can be blunt and honest or stylish and elegant...and … (12 comments)
Sometimes you've just got to go old school. I was reading another blog post today about how even with all the technology around us, it is hard to get organized and stay on task...perhaps that article should have said "because of it"??? If you're like most of us, you have at your fingertips a computer with all sorts of software to help you stay organized, a PDA or smartphone, calendars, etc...but what good are they if you don't use them to stay on task? I know that on my computer I have numerous programs that I can and do … (0 comments)
assistant for real estate: Commenting Etiquette - Yeah, I'm With You on That, But What About "Replying to Comments" Etiquette?
- 03/31/09 07:17 AM
According to Dictionary.com, one of the definitions of the word "etiquette" is: conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion. Just this last week, there was a post on commenting etiquette by Nelya Calev, her points were sound and I agreed with what she had to say on the subject. But here's my question...I know we all have limited time to devote to Active Rain, and I certainly don't want to put any restrictions on anyone's time...but I have noticed quite frequently lately that some of the featured blog … (13 comments)
assistant for real estate: Only 7 Posts Per Member of Active Rain? Seriously?!?
- 03/24/09 06:20 AM
There was a blog post made today by Michael Thornton called, You've Come A Long Way Baby, which was very cool and showed us the original posts made on Active Rain and how to see who our newest members are, but it also told us that we were close to our 1 millionth post with an approximate 140,000 members. The very first comment on this post was by Penny Hull - who "did the math" - and informed us that that was only an average of 7 posts per member. WHAT? How is that even possible? I joined Active Rain on … (25 comments)
assistant for real estate: I hate to RANT, but RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT...foreign country outsourcing!
- 03/05/09 09:14 AM
I know these people need to make a living too...but this is the 3rd call I have gotten this week! I am a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and they want me to turn over my list of hard earned clients to their call centers, get my clients to utilize their services (when I can't even understand them myself), get me to utilize their services on the sly and tell my clients that I'm doing the work, and not only that but they pass themselves off as having offices in New York or some other US destination when really they are … (10 comments)
assistant for real estate: I Just Signed Up for this Teleseminar And I'm Guessing That Lots of You Out There Should As Well!
- 03/03/09 05:28 AM
VACOC Monthly Guest Expert Teleseminar Series: Assert Yourself Today! Presented by Nancy Stampahar, SilverLiningSolutions.com DATE: Thursday, March 19, 2009 TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST DURATION: 60 minutes (call in 10 min. early to secure your seat) COST: FREE! Can you say "no?" Can you set boundaries and ask for what you need? Do you speak up in meetings? Do you let people yell at you? When you are served a cold meal in a restaurant, do you return it or eat the cold food you are paying for? Are your clients treating you like … (6 comments)
On the front page of Active Rain, there used to be a list of the Membership Type categories, and you could click on that to see the members come up in order of points rankings...that is no longer there. I can choose a state and then from within that state choose a membership type...but not just an overall search for Virtual Assistants or Loan Officers or Real Estate Agents, etc... Can anyone tell me how … (3 comments)
assistant for real estate: START THE NEW YEAR ON TRACK - VISION BOARDING PROCESS
- 01/07/09 04:51 AM
I am the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce's Liaison to the Real Estate Industry, and I wanted to let you all know about the upcoming seminar that we are hosting...it is open to all professionals. I hope you can join us! Presented by Cari Vollmer, LifeOnTrack.com DATE: Thursday, January 15, 2009 TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST DURATION: 60 minutes (call in 10 min. early to secure your seat) COST: FREE! Determined to make 2009 your best year ever? Wondering how to create a vision board that keeps you powerfully aligned with your dreams? Curious … (4 comments)
assistant for real estate: Tipsy Tuesday #16 - Save Time in 2009! / The Naked Drink
- 01/06/09 12:48 PM
Tip #16 - Save Time in 2009!I hate to waste time on anything...I am always looking for short cuts and tricks...so here are some that I use most often that I thought I would share with you! (These are for PC users only) I hate scrolling to the top or bottom of pages to find the navigation links that I need...so I use the END and HOME keys on my keyboard instead. Do you use your right click on your mouse for Copy, Cut and Paste functions? Sometimes it's easier and faster to use CTRL + C (copy), CTRL + X … (2 comments)
assistant for real estate: Testimonials can drop out of the sky...
- 12/22/08 06:17 AM
I didn't do anything special, I just offered to help an industry leader / professional that I have the utmost admiration for, at a time when I knew that TIME was something she didn't have. I managed and organized the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce's annual Virtual Christmas Party this year (believe me, I had some help from other great VAs), since the founder had literally just moved overseas for a short time, and she wasn't sure how much time she would have or what her Internet availability would be. Also, this same person had asked me if I would modify … (2 comments)
assistant for real estate: Real Estate Will Do Fine In 2009! (and here's why)
- 12/19/08 01:57 AM
Well, the industy catch phrase for this past year might be "Real Estate hates 2008!"...but that's ok because this coming year it's going to be "Real Estate Will Do Fine in 2009!" WHY? Here's why: Everyone is wiser. Everyone has seen what greed and excess obtained too easily has cost us as a nation and as a world. Everyone has tightened their belts. Those remaining in the industry are doing well on less...so when the market starts to turn around and all their hard work pays off...they will have greater profits to show for it because they didn't put so much … (39 comments)
assistant for real estate: 'Tis The Friday Before Christmas...
- 12/18/08 06:53 PM
And all through the house,Not a creature is stirring, so I'll just use my mouse. I'll search through Active Rain,until it does appear,that elusive RE contact,that I've searched for all year. Will you be a referral,or a Realtor needing me,or will you be a seller looking to pay a steep fee? Whoever you areand where ever you may be I want to thank those at ARfor helping you to find me. One client, two clients,three clients, four...five clients, six clientsfound me through AR's doors Those doors, they swing both wayshelping both of us to seejust how much I need youand you … (9 comments)
assistant for real estate: Tipsy Tuesday #11 - Turn Your Phone Off! / Hot Maine Mudslides
- 11/25/08 09:46 AM
Tip #11 - Turn Your Phone Off!I know you're expecting me to tell you some tip about real estate...which of course you would need a Real Estate Virtual Assistant for ;-) But, no. I'm not going to. Instead, what I am going to tell you is that you should finish up your paperwork between now and Wednesday night...at which point you should turn off your phone. Yep, turn it off. That way people won't hear it ring, callers will know you must be busy because it goes straight to voice mail, and you will be free to be thankful for your … (6 comments)
✍A Written Invitation? This is a long post...but read it if you want to use Gmail or already are and just want to get the most out of it...so worth it for all the little useful nuggets...even if I do say so myself ☺ 
;)
;)
;)
