NOVEMBER 23, 2009
ISSN 1947-105X | Vol. 3, No. 47

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TECHNOLOGY ISSUE

In This Issue:

• A Note from Danielle
• Grateful Moment
• FEATURE ARTICLE: Audio Acrobat: My Quiet Hero
• Marketplace
• Find a Virtual Assistant
• About the VACOC

A Note from Danielle...

It's Thanksgiving Day this coming Thursday for those of us in the U.S. I'm not really into the history of this holiday, but it's a great reminder to express thankfulness for everyone in your life and count your blessings, no matter what country you're from. Thanks for being our subscriber! I hope we've been a humble blessing to you in some way as well.

Yours in gratitude :)

Danielle Keister
Founder & Virtual Assistant Expert
Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce

This week I'm grateful for...

Meredith Eisenberg of Yellow Highlighter VA for answering my plea for a Google Wave invite. Thank you!

We Love Hearing From You!

“I really enjoy your newsletter. It has been a tremendous help in setting up my company. Thank you so much for all that you provide. I don’t think I would have gotten this far if it wasn’t for your assistance!"

— Hilda Ginzkey, Administrative Expressions

How did YOU like this issue or a past teleseminar? Was it insightful, helpful or informative? Have topic ideas you'd like to see covered in the future? Let us know!

- FEATURE ARTICLE -

Audio Acrobat: My Quiet Hero

Audio Acrobat is the quiet little hero in my life, streaming my audio and visual, giving life and sound to my business and marketing. So sturdy and trustworthy and versatile that I often forget it's there and take it for granted. But I simply could not live without it, no sirree. Let me tell you about just some of the creative ways you, too, can use Audio Acrobat.

• Bring the spoken word to your web site, blog and ezine. Record an intro, read a page, supplement your written article with a recorded version... you name it. If you sat down and thought about it, you could probably come up with a hundred different ideas for putting audio to use on all kinds of media.
  
  
• Stream your teleseminars. If you conduct and record teleseminars, Audio Acrobat is perfect for streaming them to the world. Attendees and those who missed the live event can listen later at their convenience and you can continue to reach new audiences long after the event.
  
  
• Podcast your shows. Any recording can be podcasted, which is simply an RSS feed for audio. This is particularly useful if you produce a radio show or audio ezine and need a reliable way to get your audio content out automatically to subscribers.
  
  
• Stream videos. Many of us use services like YouTube and Viddler to stream our videos. But since Audio Acrobat also streams videos, why not take advantage of it, especially if you've already got an account. There are no annoying ads and you can customize the player controls and colors. Here's a screenshot of one my videos:
  
  
  
  
• Capture and stream testimonials. Here's another nifty thing about Audio Acrobat. They give you your own audio phone lines that you can publicize. Have clients, attendees and others call in with their raves and testimonials. These are recorded automatically over the line and transcoded into your account. You can then take the HTML and stream each individual audio testimonial on any web page.
  
  
• Customizable players. Audio Acrobat gives you all kinds of flexibility over the players for each individual recording and video. You get to set the size of the player, the colors and the controls.
  
  
• Add polish while saving bandwidth and discspace. Using a professional service like this adds polish to your business image. It's gives life and interactivity to your marketing. Plus, since they stream the files instead of your own site, you save on bandwidth and discspace usage.

RESOURCE: These are just the basics. I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but put your thinking cap on and you'll come up with all kinds of fun and unique ideas to put Audio Acrobat to work in your business and marketing. Be sure and check out their no-cost introductory training sessions.

About the Author: Danielle Keister is an author, business advisor and innovator in the Virtual Assistant profession. Through her organization, the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, she is passionate about helping Virtual Assistants grow stronger, more financially successful practices that lead them to greater personal happiness, freedom and client satisfaction. An administrative professional of 20+ years and veteran Virtual Assistant of 12+ years, her no-nonsense approach to business development has gained her recognition as one of the leaders in the field.

© Copyright 2009, The Portable Business™. All U.S. and International rights reserved. You may print this article for personal use or republish it online only if it is left unaltered and used in its entirety, including bylines, links, copyright notice, resource and author information. Contact the author for any other permission.

- VACOC NEWS -

Take the 2009 Annual Virtual Assistant Industry Survey

UPDATE 11/23/09: 687 participants so far—only 313 to go! We're shooting for 1,000 so if you are a VA, be sure and take the survey and keep those promotions going. They really, really help. And if you are a client, please forward this email to your Virtual Assistant. :)

Each year, the VACOC conducts an industry-wide survey with the purpose of taking a representative, group snap-shot of those who are in the business of providing ongoing administrative support. Virtual Assistants who participate get the survey results report absolutely free! Our goal this year is 1,000 participants. Judging from past years' surveys, the report will be about 75-100 pages chockful of useful, fascinating, eye-opening data. So don't delay—the sooner we hit the mark, the sooner YOU get your copy!

Take the survey >>

- VACOC NEWS -

New Service for Clients: Quickie Gigs™

The VACOC has a new service for clients we call Quickie Gigs™. Here's the idea:

The core business of a Virtual Assistant is providing one-on-one, ongoing administrative support to clients they work with in long-term, continuous relationship. We always encourage clients to go that route because it's where you are going to reap the most rewards in terms of value, continuity and cost-effectiveness. However, if you have not yet found your right Virtual Assistant or you are between Virtual Assistants, but still have occasional tasks and projects you'd like completed, we can help you out!

Quickie Gigs™ is for simple, straightforward administrative tasks and projects that can be completed and turned-around in a day or so (24 to 48 hours) with no fuss, no muss. All you do is fill out our online form with the project specs and once the preliminary account set-up is completed, we'll get to work right away. Simple as that! For more information, be sure and check out our Quickie Gigs™ page.

Let's Connect

Marketplace

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Find a Virtual Assistant Today

You don't have to live in overwhelm! Find yourself a great Virtual Assistant today, and go from struggling by yourself to enjoying more time, freedom and success.

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ABOUT THE VACOC: Founded by industry veteran Danielle Keister in 2006, the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce™ is the Virtual Assistant professional association specifically for solopreneurs. Our passion is helping Virtual Assistants run smarter, more successful businesses that bring them more money and greater personal happiness, freedom and client satisfaction.

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