Virtual Insanity or Virtual Reality?

Sometimes e-mail forwards are amusing

January 18, 2007 – 11:29 pm

Don’t get me wrong…I love my Windows!! But I had to chuckle when this came across my e-mail today.

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,

“If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.”

In response to Bill’s comments, General Motors issued a press release
stating:

If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving
cars with the follow ing characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash …….. Twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy
a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You
would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be
replaced by a single “This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation” warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask “Are you sure?” before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you s imultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how
to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the
same manner as the old car.

10. You’d have to press the “Start” button to turn the engine off.

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Administrative, Humor | Comments (0)

What is a virtual assistant in 2007?

January 9, 2007 – 1:14 pm

As the new year approached and the holiday gatherings with friends and family were upon us, I found myself once again trying to find different ways to explain to different people what exactly a virtual assistant is and what we do.

I thought this might be a good time to break this down in as many ways as possible! I often find myself having to start my explanation in remarkably different ways and using very different terminology and points of reference depending on where my listener is coming from. So, for the first installment of “What is a virtual assistant in 2007?” here are some of the key points in my explanation to my 91 year old grandfather…

-A virtual assistant is like a secretary. (I know, I cringe myself a bit at the simplistic not completely accurate description, but for a lot of people that’s a tangible way to understand something very intangible!)

-A virtual assistant communicates with clients the way a travelling salesman (yes, I would prefer salesperson…but you have to know your audience!) would with their company…any way possible over a long distance!

-A virtual assistant’s business is often a lot like a motivational speaker or business consultant. We provide services for many people and companies, but in general, work for ourselves.

Now, that is definitely not an all inclusive definition of a virtual assistant, but it is a few points that help get my message across to my very specific audience!

As a virtual assistant or client that takes advantage of virtual assistance, how would you describe what a virtual assistant really is?

Look for my next installment, points of my “virtual assistant definition” from a discussion with my 9 year old cousin!

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Virtual assistant, Home Office, Virtual Assistant Stuff, Small Business | Comments (0)

Simple Enough…

December 20, 2006 – 11:37 am

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.”

-Albert Einstein

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Quotes, Virtual Assistant Stuff, Small Business | Comments (0)

Let your customers sell for you

December 15, 2006 – 12:54 pm

I just read a post about Southwest Airlines on the Church of the Customer Blog that got me thinking.

Southwest Airlines has launched a contest that invites citizens to create their own “wanna get away?” ad.

I just saw a press release coming from Dove with a similar contest for a new body wash product. Obviously, humor won’t be their focus, rather they are continuing their “real women” focus. But I think this is an interesting idea all around. Do you think this trend is an effect of YouTube and the like? Or perhaps just another innovative marketing idea from the airline that gets publicity from their unique in-flight entertainment and their very own reality show on A&E!

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Current Events and News, Marketing, Business | Comments (0)

The Dog Ate My Blogwork…

December 7, 2006 – 1:33 am

Here’s one that might be hard to believe to those who don’t work out of a home office. This week I suffered a complete hardware failure. Just finished upgrading to a new computer. Why you ask? Honestly, my dog literally killed my laptop! I’m still not sure how she did it, but she managed to obliterate the sad old Dell. Well, I’ve been meaning to move up to a new machine anyway, and thank goodness I had my trusty external harddrive with everything backed up! I really thought my days of pulling the old “my dog ate my homework” were over. Never say never when you’re working at home!

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in DW Office Solutions News, Virtual Assistant Stuff | Comments (0)

Bad Spelling drives me crazy (not Tori)

November 29, 2006 – 4:01 pm

I know that I too am guilty of not taking the simple step of clicking on my spellcheck every once in awhile. But I can’t say it enough, bad spelling in your marketing materials, websites, blogs, etc. just might cost you business, client’s respect or both.

So in my ongoing role as a self-appointed Webster’s Evangelist…. I invite you to check out a great list of the 100 most often misspelled words at YourDictionary.com.

A few of my favorites from the list and their accompanying tidbits (nothing will ever top “i before e except after c, but some of these are pretty good!):

Acceptable - Just remember to accept any table offered to you and you will spell this word OK.
Dumbbell - Even smart people forget one of the [b]s in this one. (So be careful who you call one when you write.)
Occasionally - Writers occasionally tire of doubling so many consonants and omit one, usually one of the [l]s. Don’t you ever do it.
Separate - How do you separate the [e]s from the [a]s in this word? Simple: the [e]s surround the [a]s.

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Home Office, Writing, Administrative, Web Design, Virtual Assistant Stuff | Comments (1)

The Rules of Business

November 29, 2006 – 12:41 pm

“Hell, there are no rules here - we’re trying to accomplish something. ”
-Thomas A. Edison

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Quotes, Business | Comments (0)

Surviving Black Friday Flashbacks

November 24, 2006 – 10:27 am

Though it’s been a good 5 years since I was last subjected to the masses on Black Friday, the sights and sounds still haunt this former retail manager!

After leaving the retail industry, I must admit it’s difficult for me to walk into a mall or shopping center on a regular day. But Black Friday is definitely too much to handle! It’s hard to escape too, as it’s shown constantly on television throughout the day.

Each time I see images of this day, all I can do is thank God that I’m no longer required to be a part of this insanity! Bargains or not, this is one post-retail syndrome that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get past. So my utmost sympathies to those faithful employees stuck behind registers across the country with neverending lines and trying to mediate yet another shopping scuffle!

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Holidays, Retail, Current Events and News | Comments (2)

Staying Out of the Youtube and Myspace Quicksand

November 24, 2006 – 6:05 am

As a virtual assistant and web designer who works from a home office, I occasionally (ok, frequently) have to work extremely hard to stay focused and not throw too much time away checking out the latest videos from my favorite made for Youtube talk shows or filling out silly bulletins on myspace cause someone I went to junior high with might get their feelings hurt if I don’t!

Always having this struggle in the back of my mind, I was happy to find someone else copping to these bad habits and better yet offering some possible deterrents in Training Yourself to Work from Home.

In the post, T.O. Whenham gives some advice on several issues facing the home office pro. He had this to say relating to my addictions:

Problem: Too much time spent surfing.

Solution: Try two browsers. My friend is an avid internet user and finds watching videos on YouTube far more addictive than preparing an expense report. He needs to use the internet for research and communication, but every time he opens up his browser, he heads to his favorite fun sites instead. I suggested that he use two different browsers. He uses Firefox normally, so he should keep that one for personal surfing. He should then use Internet Explorer for his business surfing. His business browser won´t have any of the bookmarks that his personal browser will, so he won´t be as tempted. By separating the two uses, he can more easily discipline himself to work when he needs to work and play when he has the time. It´s not foolproof, but you need some self discipline to work at home. This just decreases how much you need.

In my opinion, great advice! Then again, this was a post from back in May that I found by surfing del.icio.us. It’s tough to not be distracted when part of your profession requires you to stay up to date on what’s going on around the web and constantly seeking inspiration for blogging and articles.

Share This

By Dana Wallert | Posted in Home Office, Time Management, Virtual Assistant Stuff | Comments (0)