We've moved!

Virtual Assistant Blog

Cool Tool: drop.io

A fine good morning to you, my Sharks and Guppies! Let's get moving on the day and leave our competition in the dust ...

I don't recall how I stumbled upon this link, but who cares! Drop.io is a nifty and free tool offering Simple private exchange. Setup a drop for a day, a year, or more. Leave it open to the public or add a password. Drop via phone, fax or e-mail, or Widgetize your drop.

Very cool, free and recommended by this Virtual Assistant.

Hey Mister DJ: "Are you gonna go my way"

This is the jam I blare out the speakers at 11 on the Pathfinder on the New York State Thruway. This is the jam that makes the speakers installed in the dash thump and bump, and the same jam that makes me air drum. A flip of the switch and that thing (a sub-woofer? I don't know!) installed in the back of my truck goes into overdrive.

I'm down with most of the songs written and performed by Lenny Kravitz, and Are you gonna go my way is no exception! Nothing magical or special about the lyrics or the musical arrangement. And yet, when you put everything together at Spinal Tap noise levels, it's all good.

To Cindy Blackman: Chix with sticks rule. Carry on.

To the guitarist with the crazy hair: Our respective hairdo's look exactly alike! Though, I do pin up my hair once it's completely dry.

Spring has sprung here in the 'Dacks and today's weather is yet another reason to take a cruise and waste just a bit of my nearly $4.00 per gallon gasoline, roll down the windows, and blast my music. I'm taking Lenny along for the ride ...

Hey Mister DJ: Let's throw on some shorts and flip-flips and go cruising! While we're on the road, play me:


Are you gonna go my way:

Final Reminder: April's "Associates Webinar" coming up tomorrow

A quick reminder that I'm presenting DavisVA.com's next Associates Webinar tomorrow, Friday, April 25, 2008. A free and 60-minute Webinar for you to learn more about who I need to add to my team, and for you to determine if you and I are a good fit.

I'm looking for Virtual Assistants, both upstart and established, who possess very specific skills and personality traits. I want to talk with you if you're in full command of hardcore administrative tasks, plus you know HTML basics, shopping cart and blog systems. Want to get into article marketing and Craig's List and Backpage campaigns, all the while keeping more of the money you earn in your own pocket? If so, you've come to the right place! If not, keep steppin' and do so expeditiously.

Click here to learn more and to register for tomorrow's Virtual Assistants Associates Webinar. As always, dial my digits, 866.611.LORI, or contact Lori Davis if you've got any questions prior to registration.

Here's to your success!

Thrifty Thursday: Give a little bit

Good morning, campers! It's time to get moving on the day and enjoy the glorious weather Mother Nature is giving us today.

Thrifty Thursday** for April 24, 2008, is a special shout out to those business owners who volunteer their time. If you're part of Story Time at the library, volunteer at the food bank or give some of your time each week at the hospital, I tip my hat your way with gratitude and approval. It's important for folks with the capacity to do so to support and give back to their local communities. Add to this the hardworking bad ass Big Kahuna that you are, and your days are filled to the brim and probably overflowing! Today's Thrifty Thursday is my way of saying "thank you" for your volunteer efforts, and helping you keep more of your hard-earned money in your wallet.

Thrifty Thursday for 4/24/08 means I will give you one (1) hour of complimentary Virtual Assistance for every four (4) you purchase during May 2008 and June 2008 when you show me proof of your volunteer activities. (Not to exceed three (3) hours of free service during either month.) Have the head librarian or head nurse or the manager of the food bank write a short note talking about your service, e-mail that note in my direction and let's get to work!

Thrifty Thursday phone lines for April 24, 2008, close at 6:00 PM U.S. Eastern time today. Contact this Virtual Assistant, right now, and let's get to outsourcing!

** This Thrifty Thursday discount may not be combined with any other discounts offered by Davis Virtual Assistants.

Reminder: HTML Basics training coming up later this week

A fine good morning to all my Killer Sharks, and to my Guppies as well!

Quick reminder that DavisVA.com's next HTML Basics Webinar is coming up this Thursday, April 24, from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Eastern). Seven students are signed up so far, so I've got room for three more. Act fast and secure your spot!

If you're thinking "HTML" really means, "Hey, Teach Me Lori!" you're right on the money, and school you I will. These Webinars are always a lot of fun, plus you'll acquire a very important skill and get over your fears of learning to code. This is easy, so let go of your "I'm petrified about coding" mindset.

Click here to register and learn more about this information-packed virtual HTML training class.

Your (Business) Life Sucks

Admit it ... it's just you and me. You are drowning in your own back office administration. Sure, you dig what you do for a living, but if you have to schedule one more appointment, continue to manage your own CRM, or update your own blog and shopping cart, you're going to throw your laptop through the window.

Admit it ... your business life sucks.

Let's take this one step further: You are a big-time dork for continuing to handle all of the administrative tasks which need to get done every day in order to keep your business in business. Don't hang your head in shame, my Killer Sharks! Ohhhhhhh no. I'm not going to let you off that easy. Instead, own your Dorkdom, caress it once more like a warm and soothing blanket and then let go. That's right: Let go of the insanity. Let go of thinking you're "super" and that you can handle every last aspect of your business on your own. Let go of your Dorkdom and jump off the fence into the soothing and warm waters of the Virtual Assistance industry.

Next Steps? The way I see it, you can continue to let your competition get the best of you, or you can play a bigger game and outsource.

The choice is yours ...

Call the ball and let me know your answer.

Thrifty Thursday: I'm stuck on the road and out of gas, and you want me to outsource?

In the words of Prince, "Get the funk up!" It's time for all my Sharks and Guppies to get your buns out of bed and get rolling on the day.

Thrifty Thursday** for April 17, 2008, gives a nod and a middle finger to the current cost of gasoline. (I'm lucky in that I don't travel to work. However, necessity dictates I own a 4WD drive vehicle and the cost to fill up my gas tank would make you lose your breakfast.) Until alternatives are found, we've got to gas up, pick up the tax deductions from school, visit mom and dad on the weekend, and buy food stuffs from the grocery store. In the midst of all of this, you are a business owner with a bottom line to keep an eye on.

Contact me by close of business today, and I'll give you a 10% "the high cost of gasoline sucks" discount on your May, June and July 2008 Davis Virtual Assistants invoices. Screw the naysayers and all their "bad news" about the state of the national economy. You keep on doing what you're doing to bring home the bacon, and the good and sassy folks at DavisVA.com will save you some bank in the process!

Thinking outsourcing isn't a good fit for you? Balderdash! We're Admin Queens and we can manage for you any number of administrative tasks, and some technical ones as well. You're going to need lots of money to continue to gas up through the summer, and that means you need to bring on more clients. How to do that? You start by outsourcing so you may remained laser-focused on the big picture.

Thrifty Thursday phone lines for 4/17/08 close at 6:00 PM (U.S. Eastern time) today. Get to dialing, 866.611.LORI, or tell me how much you're paying for a gallon of gasoline via the information superhighway.

** This Thrifty Thursday discount may not be combined with any other discounts offered by Davis Virtual Assistants.

Thanks, but no

Good evening!

Interesting article on CNN.com, MySpace, Facebook: Big not always better. Here's text which disturbs me:

In a statement, MySpace added that its users have created thousands of groups around shared interests and hobbies, such that users can "live their entire life online."

"live their entire life online."?

Surely, you jest. Or maybe not. Come to think of it, life full-time online is probably what the big guns of social networking are seeking. The sites are free to join and use, and revenues are generated by ads and clicks. Hell, with any number of web-enabled devices you can carry in your pocket, you can be clicking away on your Facebook profile whilst in line for the bank, all the while being exposed to 3rd party advertising.

Thanks, but no.

I feel we're putting way too much stock in the "virtual" aspects of social networking. I do not want to live my entire life online. Indeed, I need face-time with others and not just the drive-by-hi's I can deliver on Ning, Ryze, LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace. I'm sure I would go legally insane if I holed myself up in my home and only interacted with my husband, sister-in-law and our three cats!

I've found (and you tell me your experiences on this) I put far more effort into my activities which involve real warm bodies I can reach out and touch than all of the networking sites to which I belong. I don't have 500+ connections on LinkedIn, nor thousands of "friends" on MySpace. I'm fine with both. Instead, I've got hundreds of people I know intimately, and people whose faces and emotions and wants and hurts and desires I see on a very regular basis.

Living my entire life online? Thanks, but no. My sanity and mental health are far too important to my existence to rely solely on virtual interaction with others.

Ask the Virtual Assistant

Good morning, my Killer Sharks! I'm feeling saucy and successful today, and I hope you can say the same.

News Flash:: I've launched the "Ask the Virtual Assistant" Webinars, and I'm over the moon with joy! Ask the VA is a 60-minute Webinar and conference call combo with me at the helm, dispensing hardcore advice and fielding your questions about my industry. You'll receive a copy of the recorded conference call (MP3 format), all notes and you'll be entered to win a free 1-hour consulting session with yours truly.

Click here to learn more about DavisVA.com's Ask the Virtual Assistant Webinars. As always, dial my digits, 866.611.LORI, or show me the love via the information superhighway, if you've got any questions prior to registration.

HTML Basics Webinars

News Flash: The HTML Basics Webinar dates for April, May and June 2008 have been posted at DavisVA.com. Two hours of virtual classroom instruction, a complimentary handout and numerous practice exercises, and of course yours truly teaching the course. I've been told I take a very dry subject -- can't get more dull than learning to code! -- and make it fun and interesting.

Click here to learn more about HTML training, and as always dial my digits, 866.611.LORI, if you've got any questions prior to registration.

Spring Break is over ...

... and how sad for me. Next year, I'll have to figure out a way to stretch a week into three ... ;-)

It's Monday morning, campers, and the last day of March 2008. My birthday month is nearly in the history books, and then we're on to April. Don't be a "fool" tomorrow; instead, take your outsourcing plans out of your head and put them in motion.

Contact me today at 866.611.LORI and let's discuss why going virtual is just what doctor Lori ordered for all your business pains.

Thrifty Thursday: Spring has Sprung

Happy First Day of Spring! Even though my At-A-Glance wall calendar tells me this to be so, Mother Nature is still toying with me. Nevertheless, it's awesome to finally be on the back end of Winter. I'm looking forward to closeting my leather boots, scarves and winter coats for the season. More important, I'm looking forward to opening all the windows in my home to let the fresh air in, and I can't wait to have the opportunity to open the windows on my truck and crank the volume to 11!

Thrifty Thursday for March 20, 2008**, is another "name it and claim it" offering. Contact me by close of business today, and I'll give you a 20% discount on your May 2008 invoice. What do you need to outsource? How about article marketing, website updates or that massive data entry project. Maybe you need a Virtual Assistant to manage your newsletter and your shopping cart. Perhaps you need to outsource your appointment setting and calendar management. No matter the administrative task, and some of the technical ones as well, chances are high the good and sassy folks at Davis Virtual Assistants can handle it for you.

Thrifty Thursday 3/20/08 phone lines close at 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern time today. Tell me your business pain via e-mail, or dial my digits, 866.611.LORI.
** Discount applies to new Davis Virtual Assistants clients.

Reminder: 2 DavisVA.com Webinars next week

Good morning, campers!

A quick reminder about two Webinars coming up next week, one for HTML Training and the other for prospect Davis Virtual Assistants Associates:

Virtual HTML Training

Virtual Assistance firm is hiring

Got questions about these Webinars? I'm here to help! Call me at 866.611.LORI, or hit me with your best shot via the information superhighway.

Hey Mister DJ: "Lay Your Hands On Me"

A concert, no matter the flavor of the music, should suck you in with the energy of the artist(s) performing. I felt the vibe at various concerts, including Prince (6 times), 311, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mellencamp, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic and Madonna, and the same can be said for the hot boys of Bon Jovi.

Speaking of hotness, let's address that first. Jon Bon Jovi chose his parents ohhhh so well. I think he raised his hand a nanosecond prior to conception and told God, "I'll take that gorgeous female creature in the front row as my mom, and the man fifth row center as my father." There's no mistaking the man is easy on the eyes. 'Nuff said. And it must be stated I've always had a thing for Tico Torres, and not just because he's a drummer! Note to Jon: You'd be even hotter if you were a Republican ... ;-)

What I dig about Bon Jovi is that they get it ... they understand when I'm attending their live shows, I want their very best every night. Make me smile and pump my fists, make me jump, and make me sing your songs back to you. They understand I want the "experience" and they deliver it to me. When I leave the venue, I don't want to remember how screwed up my day had been prior to the concert. All I want to remember is the pounding in my heart and how I felt for those two hours on my feet. I want that "Oh my god" moment uttered by the chick in the last few seconds of the video ...

The video below is a bit cheesy, but in a good way. The hairy chests, double-necked guitars and poofy 80s hair aside, the video is fun and makes me want to jump in my truck, crank the volume to 11 and go screaming down the Thruway, the rock 'n roll hair flying out the window all the way.

Hey Mister DJ, check this out! It's my birthday and I want you to play me:

Lay Your Hands On Me

Thrifty Thursday: Article Marketing Rules the Day

Good morning, campers!

There are some Thrifty Thursday discounts which are more popular than others, and this one is right at the top of the list! Contact Davis Virtual Assistants, your Business Pain Relievers, right now and I'll give you a 15% discount on your April 2008 Article Marketing invoice. Mwwwwwwwwah ... who loves ya baby? I do, that's who!

We know the best sites for your articles, and unlike some other VA firms we know how to apply coding for you. Continue to keep your name in lights, enhance your SEO and save some bank in the process.

Thrifty Thursday phone lines for 3/13/08 close at 7:00 PM U.S. Eastern time today. Dial my digits, 866.611.LORI, or tell me your article marketing plans via the information superhighway.