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ISSN 1939-2834
Vol. 2, No. 5 | February 4, 2008
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In This Issue:
From the Editor
The new year is upon us. If you're like many folks, digging out of
the piles and clearing away the cobwebs has been a big priority in
your office. But have you forgotten those computer nooks and
crannies that aren't so apparent? Dawn Olinek is here this week with some
easy steps you can do regularly to keep things humming along nicely.
To your success!
Danielle Keister
Founder & CVO
Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
Start the New Year Off with a Clean
Slate and a Clean Computer
 Now
that you've closed the doors to 2007 and opened them up for 2008, you
may be thinking that you've taken care of everything that needs to be
done for your business. Alas, there's one more outstanding task that needs
your attention — your computer. The most important piece of equipment
that keeps us up and running on a daily basis is often the one item that
gets overlooked when it comes to maintenance.
You may be scratchig your head and wondering how you clean
a computer, right? There's more to it than just dusting off the screen
and using a can of air spray on the keyboard. Your baby needs a good internal
cleansing and I'm going to help you achieve just that. Wipe those beads
of nervous sweat off of your forehead; no techie experience is required
for this task.
1. Security. First and foremost, you
should be running a security suite on your computer. You want a program
that offers firewall, anti-virus and privacy protection such as ZoneAlarm.
2. Clean the Clutter. Your hard drive
needs to be cleared of clutter on a weekly to monthly basis. There are
several ways to achieve this:
- Add/Remove Programs: Click
on your Start button — Control Panel — Add or Remove Programs,
then select the programs you are no longer using (and which are taking
up space on your computer) and remove them.
- Folders: Access the folders
you've created on your hard drive, and determine what you can delete.
- Email: Delete old emails,
especially those sitting in your "sent" folder.
- Browsers: Delete your
Web browser history, cookies and cache.
- Icons: Do you have unused
icons on your desktop? Delete those, too.
- Disk Cleanup: Click on
your Start button — Programs — Accessories — System
Tools — Disk Cleanup. According to Microsoft, this is something
that should be performed on a weekly basis. This process allows you
to dump anything from temporary Internet files to emptying the Recycle
Bin.
- Disk Defragmenter: Click
on your Start button — Programs — Accessories — System
Tools — Disk Defragmenter. Microsoft recommends completing this
step monthly.
To make things a bit easier, you can set your computer to automatically
run disk cleanup and disk defragmenter when you're not using the machine.
This can be achieved by clicking Start — Programs — Accessories
— System Tools — Scheduled Tasks. Click on "add a scheduled
task," and the Wizard will walk you through the steps.
That was easy, wasn't it? If you add these tasks to your calendar or
organization program to be completed on a weekly or monthly basis, you
will notice that your computer will run more efficiently for you.
RESOURCE: ZoneAlarm
Internet Security Suite is a complete Internet security suite featuring
firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, privacy and spam-blocker protection.
It's ideal for individual use.
 About
the Author: Dawn Olinek is the principal of Egghead
Virtual Associates, a Virtual Assistant practice providing
brainy business solutions to financially resourceful entrepreneurs. Her
professional experience spans business entrepreneur, college administration,
marketing, human resources, administrative support and education.
FREE
Teleseminar on February 21, 2008: 10 Ways to Communicate Confidence and
Boost Your Credibility
 If
there were 10 simple behaviors that could make you more self-assured,
and help you know for certain that you could tackle any challenge that
came your way, wouldn’t you want to know what they were? Join us
on Thursday, February 21, for this entertaining
and informative session with Canada’s Civility in the Workplace
expert, Lew Bayer, as she provides insight and practical tools that, with
practice, will ensure increased self-assurance, confidence, and productivity.
RESERVE
YOUR SPOT TODAY: Go here to register >>
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Gritty Business Buzz is a weekly newsletter of
the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce published each Monday.
It is produced by Virtual Assistants especially for the gritty,
resourceful, fiercely determined small business owners and independent
professionals they serve--YOU!
EDITOR: Danielle
Keister, The
Relief Virtual Assistance
MANAGING EDITOR, BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT: Karen Del'Marmol, Karen
Del'Marmol
MANAGING EDITOR, MARKETING
& NETWORKING: Laura Lee Sparks, The
Simple Solution
MANAGING EDITOR, VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE
OUTSOURCING: Joy Slaughter, A
Capital Solution
MANAGING EDITOR, STRESS BUSTERS:
LaTanya Robinson, LaRobe
Business Solutions
MANAGING EDITOR, TECHNOLOGY:
Sandi Johnson, Virtually
Yours LLC
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