New Business: Don't forget your existing clients

Don't be so focussed on looking for new business that you forget your existing clients

A sign that you are providing a quality service is when customers come back to you for repeat business. Don't be so focussed on getting new business that you neglect your existing customer base. Keep existing customers informed of new business services, new develoopments... just keep in touch with them from time to time and keep meeting service delivery agreements.

It's a good idea to every now and again go and reread and brush up on service delivery agreements signed between you and existing clients. Just to make sure that you are adhering to the letter of the law with your agreement between you and them, to ensure that you are keeping to confidentiality clauses and respecting what they are asking you to do.  This will also help you ensure that THEY are doing what they are supposed to do in terms of their contractual agreement with you. If you find that they are not, a little gentle reminder can be beneficial. Remember, your old clients are the loyal tried and trusted ones, where the new ones, you don't know so well yet.

Giveaway of the Day.

Hello guys,

Thank goodness here in the Southern hemisphere winter is over and in Johannesburg, South Africa, we have glorious spring days. Hope you are all comfortable wherever you are! 

Worth a mention today is Giveaway of the Day. They always give away great stuff if you are fast enough to download it within 24 hours, but today's is a tool that is valuable to the transcription industry and to people in writing, proofreading and editing circles. Check it out: http://giveawayoftheday.com/whitesmoke-2011/. Here's the write up about it. The program is available for $ 249.95, but it will be free as a time-limited offer. Throughout the world the need for communication between countries and international business is growing and as a result, so is the need for a common language: English. WhiteSmoke 2011 involves Natural Language Processing (or NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) which allows the software to “learn” the way the human mind works in the process of writing, thus going beyond providing grammatical and typographical corrections, but also improving the style, tone and clarity of your writing. The 2011 version is an all-in-one, hybrid solution for English writing, providing a convenient and easy to use writing tool that works directly from any text-based application. WhiteSmoke 2011 includes the a comprehensive English writing tool, full-text translator, multilingual dictionary and a multitude of ready-to-use templates. Be quick and get it!

Useful transcription tools

Hi everybody. I thought that I would list here some tools that I use from day to day that make my life as a transcriptionist much easier. Please feel free to add to this list, and ask me about the usage of these tools. Any tool I list here, I have personally used and recommend

Express Scribe It's a free transcription tool which allows you to slow down and speed up audio and is downloadable from www.nch.com.au

Any Audio Converter. It literally converts audio to any format, particularly to formats that are workable by the above Express Scribe.

Sendspace. It's a secure FTP server, free, which allows you to send files to others which are too big to be emailed.

Skype is an internet based telephony programme which allows you to chat via the internet to your customers free of charge.

Wavepad is a very useful sound editing programme which allows you to clip audio to particular lengths, enhance the quality of it and edit it - free.

Bullzip allows you to print to PDF format. There are many more, but these are the ones that I use from day to day.

Job - AMF TYPING

Hi everyone Alison Fourie needs some assistance with a monthly job she will have - Please contact her directly: - I am in Roodepoort, Roodekrans. We will be going through a document and checking references, and making sure they match up. I know its dull and boring work but it will go quickly. I will pay on an hourly rate. So email me on amftyping@mweb.co.za and let me know your rate. Regards Ali

Social Media and Why You Need an Expert to Do It.

Flickr, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Myspace, Friendster, Linked In ...... what are they all? You can go crazy hearing about them all!!!!! Even more daunting - 'Blogging!' What are they all? Even if you do know them, for years, you've been told they're for personal use, not for business use. Now, suddenly, you're hearing that you have to use them for business. So, you know you need them for your business, but you're not sure what to do with them! You've started with Facebook, you've got a profile, and you've got some friends on there, so what do you do now?

In a nutshell, these are online social and business networks. Even this sort of terminology can leave you confused. But it needn't. Let's break it down. Online is simple, it's on the internet. Social. Well you know what that means - friends. In this case, let's take it a little further. Most social networks use the term 'friend' a little loosely. I have 397 Facebook friends. To be honest, I think 'acquaintance', or 'associate' would be more accurate, but 'Facebook Associate' doesn't sound quite the same as 'Facebook friend'. Business is business ... and a network is a large interconnected group of people who move in your business or social circle.

So there you have it, broken down in a nutshell. And why would YOU want to be a part of this? Statistics show that as of early 2011, there are more than 5 millon active Facebook users. That's Facebook alone, just one of the social networks available. Given the concept of the six degrees of separation (wherein it is thought that everyone is on average approximately six steps away from everyone in the world), how can you NOT be involved in something where, by the simple act of posting or commenting to inform your group of friends about an idea, there is the chance that within six steps or less, all 5 million Facebook users, and wider, the world, will be aware of what you're doing?

So now you're thinking right, so I can do this, and I can get great access to a huge market, simply by being online. Here's where the crux of the matter comes in. Social networking is time consuming, as it needs to be kept up with on a day to day basis to be effective. It also requires a certain skill. You need to be able to write literately, and have a bit of imagination, and be able to impart knowledge about your business. And the problem with all of this of course is the fact that whilst you're doing this, you're not doing your core business.

And that, everybody, is why you need Typewrite Transcription and Typing Services CC to handle your social media function for you.

Corporate Social Responsibility

I recently came across this interesting piece on Corporate Social Responsibility. It explains it in an easy to understand way for the South African market.

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1075408480&type=RESOURCES


When you choose your employers, suppliers, or your clients, or anybody else you deal directly with in your business, how closely do you think about the level of social responsibility that particular company has? I recently worked for a company which purported to be socially conscious and advocated this, but didn't recycle its paper. This bemused me. In Johannesburg, it's easy to take your paper out on a Tuesday or whatever day and have it recycled, no matter how small or large your business is. Do you insist on receiving a company's NPO number before you offer to do good for that company, or do you just do good and not care about getting a tax break? Every business be it big or small can give something back to its community. What do you give back to yours? Do you donate your time, or your services, or your skills, or money? Or do you not donate at all?

Typewrite Transcription and Typing Services CC is a proud supporter of the I Love Kensington Association which needs funds for animal and people welfare.

CV Writing: The Art of Preparing A CV

The art of preparing a CV need not be as tedious or as overwhelming as you may feel that it is. It is understandable that to the person faced with finding a job or with getting him or herself promoted, the very act of putting together the document which is supposed to sell you to your potential employer can feel overwhelming, or even impossible.

This need not be the case. A good rule of thumb when writing a CV is to break it down into 'bitesized parts'. Think of the various aspects that you need to put a good CV together. You need a cover letter, you need a short CV for faxing, and you need a longer, more detailed CV. The longer, detailed CV can be broken down even further. You might want to include a photograph in that CV. You are going to want to include your personal information, your education and your working history. You can look at things like community involvement and other notale things that you have done to make your CV noteworthy.

Perhaps one of the most important things to consider when preparing your CV is something which actually doesn't pertain directly to you. It's the job specification. You might have come across a job specification which you know you comply 100% with, and you send your CV off in great hope, only to get a rejection, or worse, nothing, back. And you ask yourself what has gone wrong. Have you considered that even though you know you comply, your CV may not address the points that will show that you comply with that specific job specification? In other words, you may have done both adminstration and graphic design in your previous careers, but if you are applying now for a graphic design job, sending in a CV which talks mainly about administration probably will not get you the job. If you try, and simply keep on failing, it is wise to consult with a professional CV writing service.

To summarise: Break your CV and cover letter down into bite sized chunks, and ensure that it is relevant to the position that you are applying for. If you do not achieve success, it is wise to consult with a professional CV writing service.

CV Writing and Job Preparedness Training

I will be presenting CV Writing and Job Preparedness Training on 21 May at 10:00 at St Giles Home for the Physically Disabled in 11th Avenue in Dewetshof, Johanesburg on 21 May at 10:00. Some of the proceeds will go to the home. Seats are going fast, so you need to book TODAY on 083 442 4689 or gaynorpay@gmail.com

I will be conducting training on the above topics with fully indepth courses on both subjects covering subjects such as

- how to prepare your CV
- what information to include
- how to write your cover letter
- body language
- references
- researching the company
- preparing for the job interview

Catering by the fantastic The Local Chef - not to be missed!!! Cost - R150.

We will have skype and online conference room functionality availabiity for those who cannot be there in person, and this will be charged at R75 per person.

16 Days of Activism - Fight the Abuses in Your Life

My friend Damaria Senne asked me to participate in her blog party for the 16 Days of Activism against women and child abuse, and place particular emphasis on the fact that I have my own transcription business. Damaria is suggesting that if a woman who is in a position of being abused is able to work for herself and therefore create employment for herself, she may be able to change the situation of her abuse and perhaps get out of it.

Now, I’m not going to say that I’m writing from a position of experience. I usually do like to write from my own experience. But in this case, thankfully, I’m not. However, as a child, I was twice in a position where men tried to abuse me. Nothing came of it, but I was in a threatening situation and I didn’t like it. The other day somebody told me that he was in a similar position, and it profoundly impacted his life even though he didn't actually get abused - that feeling of fear and complete vulnerability was enough to strip him of all his dignity, and all his trust, and although I haven't explored it fully, I think that is possibly true of me too. I think it is potentially this that has made me sensitive to the needs of abused women and children in today’s society.

It is for this reason – that I want to make a difference to people’s lives – that I serve on the committee of my local residents association, the I Love Kensington Association (ILKA). In September of this year the ILKA committee was approached by Ivan Jardine of the AIDS Army for assistance in a project that he was organising - The Flame of Hope and Healing - whereby blankets were to be crocheted and presented to children affected by HIV and Aids together with a special message of hope. Ivan’s words to me were that he wants to teach abused children that there are ways in which they can fight the abuses in their lives. So, of course, I was sold on helping in this project.

The project culminated in a showdown event on 4th of December 2010. Over 800 blankets in total were collected - 67 were made and donated by Diepkloof Prison. 250 children affected by Aids or HIV were present on the day and each received a blanket with a special message of love and hope. The overwhelming message given to them on the day was that they could fight the abuses in their lives – with love given to them by others, but also by the strength and abilities that they have themselves.

So I came away from this day thinking about this message, and thinking about the blog post Damaria had asked me to write and it occurred to me that an abused woman could begin to fight the abuses in her life by taking the first steps against it. It is possible that that step could be starting to work from home. Abused women come from all walks of life; all societies and all levels of affluence, and abusers in some situations like to keep control by not letting the woman go out to work or to visit friends, etc, etc. If that woman has access to the internet or to a computer, she could start up as a transcriptionist and it is here where a mentor or a forum such as the Transcriptionists and VAs of South Africa (TAVASA) which has been set up to assist newbies coming into our industries could come in useful – someone to answer questions and assist. Working for yourself could mean the first step towards financial independence, and the first step out of your situation of abuse. Anybody who wants to contact me privately in this regard is more than welcome to do so and I will do whatever I can to assist – gaynorpay@gmail.com.

William and Kate

Typewrite Transcription wishes Prince William and Kate Middleton all the very best in their marriage! Congratulations!!!! And while the world waits in anticipation for this young couple to marry, I want to remind you that, like marriage, a relationship with a client, like any other, needs to be worked on.

Without communication, no relationship can work to its best. Communicate with your clients, keep them in the know about what you are doing, build up a relationship of trust by sticking to doing what you say you are going to do, by meeting your commitments, by honouring and respecting each other.

And if William and Kate uphold these values in their relationship, chances are not much will go wrong!! Good luck, guys!

Training: Be properly trained on the systems you use

An issue I have been giving much consideration to in recent weeks is the time that a person can save in their business if they have official training on the systems and platforms they are using to run their businesses.

There's no doubt about the fact that the face of marketing a business has changed in recent times. If a business is not on the Big Three - Twitter, Linked In and Facebook - it just isn't keeping up with the times and with the needs of its clients and potential clients, as well as with the activities of its competitors. But let's face it, without proper training from experienced users of these platforms, they can be daunting to the startup business owner or person trying to break into the business world.

You probably know how to use email but you might not know how to write an email in a professional, business like manner - or how to post relevant and business related topics across the many social networks that form a part of today's business world. The way you present yourself in business is directly indicative of the success you are likely to have in your business, and so a professional and courteous manner is essential in all aspects.

In Training SA is a community minded company with an eye to developing individuals and corporates, that provides up to date, relevant training on these as well as other topics in order to help you:

- Improve your skills

- Enter the business world

- Maintain a professional presence in social media

- Upskill your employees in both the domestic and professional arena

You can click here for the current training schedule and contact intrainingsa@gmail.com for further information.

Minute Taker

We are looking for a minute taker for a 2 day conference in Kempton Park on 16 / 17 August. If you can help, please contact me on gaynorpay@gmail.com - urgent.

Thank you!!

Marketing Via Social Networking - Twitter and Facebook

To me it's become very clear that using social networks to market your services is a vital part of marketing in today's world. Two of the most effective social networks to use for this purpose are of course Twitter and Facebook.

This article aims to discuss how to get started on these two networks and how best to use them to market the services you offer.

Let's look at Twitter first.

1. If you do not have a Twitter account, go to http://www.twitter.com/ and create one. I'm TypewriteSA on there, and you can follow me to see how I use my Twitter account to market my business.

2. Choose a username that describes what your business is about. TypewriteSA is my username and it describes the service I provide and where I am located.

3. Twitter allows you to write a short bio on your profile to describe what you are doing. Choose words carefully to tell people what you are about. These words are very important as they can guide potential followers who will look for people providing services similar to what they provide or services that they need.

4. Now you're ready to start tweeting! Twitter is a microblogging system that allows you to write short updates to distribute to your followers. So if your Twitter account is to be mainly about business, ensure that all of your tweets relate directly to what you are doing or pass on some useful information like a useful blog post you have written or new service you are providing. Potential followers will look for this. Tweet on a regular but not too regular basis and ensure that your tweets remain informative to your followers.

5. Look for some followers - in business it's best to follow people who provide a similar service or who you feel could be informative to you or may need your services. I follow transcriptionists, VAs, proofreaders, publishers, and industry leaders in other fields.

6. Promote your account. You can put a Twitter followers button on your blog, on your website, and insert something into your email signature to tell people to follow you on Twitter.

Let's now take a glance at Facebook.

1. Most people already have a personal Facebook account. If you don't, go to http://www.facebook.com/ and create one for yourself.

2. Then, go to my fan page, Typewrite Transcription. Like this page by clicking the Like button on the top of the page.

3. Then scroll down and look at the bottom left of the page. You will find a link that says "create a page like this". Click this link.

4. This takes you to a walk through section whereby you will find instructions to create your own page. Be careful to choose the right category and pick a descriptive name for your fan page. Typewrite Transcription is an abbreviation of my business' name and describes exactly what I do.

5. Fill out the information section carefully. You want to be able to give as much information about your business as possible, but not bore people. It's as well to have at least two administrators of your page, for the simple reason that if something happens to your account, the page will still exist because it's tied to another moderator. But choose carefully who you want to make a moderator of your page as they will have the same rights as you on the page.

6. Publish your page, and you're ready to start finding Facebook likers!! One of the fastest ways of doing this is to suggest to your friends that they become Likers of your page, and ask them to suggest it to their friends. But an often overlooked method of finding Likers is to publish a "Facebook Like Box" on your website or blog.

Once you have accounts set up at both, look in your Facebook account to see how to link the two so that when you update your Facebook fan page status, your Twitter account automatically generates a tweet.

These are just the basics, but I hope they go some way towards clearing up the minefield that can be social networking.

Times to work / blogging

Hi guys,

I met with a very interesting lady today, who also works for herself although not in the field that we work in, and among the many interesting things we discussed was when is the best time to work.

Like me, she likes working at night ... I thought, sometimes, that I'm the only one driven nuts by the entire 8 - 5 thing ... sometimes, I just find those hours so hard to work in because the phone is ringing, (usually clients), email is going mad, skype going mad, or the school decides to shut at an odd hour, ...

ONe of the toughest things is working until 3am when you KNOW the phone is going to go mental from 08:00 onwards or you need to be up to let the maid or gardener in at 07:30 ... but often I still find I get a lot more done at night than I do during the day.

Your thoughts?

We also discussed the importance of the discipline of marketing and having a marketing plan. This doesn't just mean okay Friday I'll write a blog post. It means that for a month before hand, know the different subject blog posts you're going to write about and sit down and prepare them. Know where your target market is going to be, know what type of marketing approaches you want to take.

Times to work / blogging

Hi guys,

I met with a very interesting lady today, who also works for herself although not in the field that we work in, and among the many interesting things we discussed was when is the best time to work.

Like me, she likes working at night ... I thought, sometimes, that I'm the only one driven nuts by the entire 8 - 5 thing ... sometimes, I just find those hours so hard to work in because the phone is ringing, (usually clients), email is going mad, skype going mad, or the school decides to shut at an odd hour, ...

ONe of the toughest things is working until 3am when you KNOW the phone is going to go mental from 08:00 onwards or you need to be up to let the maid or gardener in at 07:30 ... but often I still find I get a lot more done at night than I do during the day.

Your thoughts?

We also discussed the importance of the discipline of marketing and having a marketing plan. This doesn't just mean okay Friday I'll write a blog post. It means that for a month before hand, know the different subject blog posts you're going to write about and sit down and prepare them. Know where your target market is going to be, know what type of marketing approaches you want to take.

Minute Taker

TAVASA is looking for a minute taker to work in Pretoria on Monday 31 May. Apply to me gaynorpay@gmail.com. You MUST have minute taking experience and preferably shorthand.

How do you combat loneliness?

Hi everyone. It's been some time since I've blogged and I wanted to come back with a fresh blog post that might make people sit back and think a bit. I didn't want to blog about something that has been blogged about a thousand times before. It crossed my mind that the reason why my blogging has taken a little bit of a back seat lately is because I have been networking in a different way - a way which is very meaningful to me and that is what this blog post will be about.

Making friends, building a community garden.

By the very nature of our businesses, we as virtual assistants have a different work set up to office workers. We don't have a knock off time, we must find our own work, and ... we don't have the social setting of office colleagues around us.

There are several ways which we can combat this if loneliness begins affecting us.
We can join groups such as TAVASA , we can build up our contacts on Skype and other instant messaging systems, or - and it's this third that I want to discuss in further detail - we can join community assistance organisations for the areas where we live such as the I Love Kensington Assocation

I didn't join I Love Kensington for business purposes and that's not why I'm a part of it now. I joined because I could see the area around me, where I live and where my children live, sinking - and I wanted to see what I could do to help. What I found was a band of dedicated, committed people crying out for voluntary help on projects that they were doing - a handful of people working to enrich the living area, and lives, of 5,000.

So I joined them - and I soon found that in between getting stuck into all of the wonderfully rewarding community projects that I Love Kensington are involved in, firm and fast friendships are formed between like minded people. I have been able to assist with the upliftment of our community by assisting newbie Virtual Assistants in our area, using and referring service providers that I would have had to call from miles away in the past ... and I find it's reciprocated, with two transcription jobs having come my way from this source in the last few months. Winner all round!

How do you combat loneliness in your business?

Hi guys,
It's been quite a while since I've blogged and I wanted to come back to my blog with a fresh idea, something which may not have been blogged about much in the past.

We virtual workers have a different set up to the office worker in many ways in that we don't have a knock off time, we don't commute, and we don't have many coworkers - some of us may miss the social aspet that an office affords. How do you combat the loneliness that working by yourself might bring about?

There are several ways we can do this:
1) We can sign up with groups such as TAVASA

2) We can build up a network of contacts on Skype and other instant messaging services.
3) We can become involved in community activities.

It's this third that I want to talk about in more detail, as the first two have been blogged about extensively, and it's the second that I've more recently become involved in.

Getting involved in community activities has numerous benefits - it leads to making numerous friends and thereby reducing the loneliness, particularly when you end up involved in activities such as teaparties, walks and community garden planting initiatives. An added benefit is networking - you get to know what others in your area, and others get to know what you are doing. Although making money is not my primary objective of community assistance, through being involved with the I Love Kensington Association I have obtained two clients and also been able to assist a Virtual Assistant who also wants to start up in the business. We have been able to accomplish some pretty amazing things, too - see pic of the community garden we planted. My life was pretty full before, with kids and work - now it's full to the brim and I'm finding I also have a bit of a social life - the loneliness factor does not intrude much now.

Have a good week, guys!

Virtual was rough this week

It's been rather an interesting week. Last week, my son had bronchitis and I made the mistake of mentioning to a friend of mine, who accompanies me and other members of our suburb on a regular walk through our suburb (click for more information) that by this week, my whole family should be healthy enough to attend.

After jinxing myself like that, of course, I caught bronchitis within the next two days.

The single worst part of working from home is that there is no sick leave - soldier on is what you do, so I did, with a course of penicillin as my army mate. But Tuesday night I hit rock bottom with raging fever and dizzy spells to go along with the sore throat. Luckily, I felt better by Wednesday morning and was able to get most of what I had to do done, but not without refusing point blank to take on any work for that evening and in so doing, upsetting one of my customers (being virtual, we also can't prove show very effectively that we're ill, and he is one of the customers who does not allow me to outsource).

Thursday I was back to chugging speed, and today, up to about 75 kph if the norm is 100 kph, and I've managed to stay up to date and keep most of my customers' work up to date, except the one mentioned above - who I have a long history with and I know I will hear from him in the next week or so.

A particular transcription I received in this week reminded me of the fact that I truly am virtual (with discussion groups like TAVASA, a great forum for South African VAs and transcriptionists, this can slip one's mind occasionally). My client records his files on site, and this one was done whilst under the attack of a swarm of horseflies!

Doing the things you love is a way to keep your mind fresh for work

Earlier today I was chatting with my friend Damaria Senne about why, lately, I am striving to keep Sundays free to keep up and touch base with the people and things that I love. I am an avid reader, and I call myself a writer, and an artist. But it struck me that the reading I do is between 12:00 and 01:00, usually - and who can remember anything they've read at that time? The last art I did was to make a Christmas card, and writing ... well ... there's something slightly offbeat, and probably inaccurate, if you call yourself a writer, yet the last time you WROTE anything worthwhile was in 2005.

I have a busy life running my transcription business and being a wife and mother - there's no doubt about it. But of late, I've come to realise something. It's very important to find a time to keep doing the things you love. And for me, for now, I've decided that time shall be Sundays - so, on Sundays, for the foreseeable future, I shall be retiring from the world, as I have been for the past two weeks.

And here is where I come to the part that makes this relevant to transcriptionists - and, I believe, others who work in a stressful industry. Taking that day off, to yourself, to unwind, and spend with your family and with doing the things you love, makes your mind clearer, sharper and more focussed on MONDAY - and through the rest of the week. Now, Sunday might not be the best time for you - but I do urge you, yes, your business is important, but find that time for you, too. You'll value it, and thank me for this advice, later.

Would Belinda Carlisle have made it if it hadn't been for the Gogos?

Commenting on blog posts

Hi everyone,

Today I wanted to draw attention to something that I feel is an important part of a small business' marketing strategy today.
Commenting on blog posts.
There is an art to this, in my opinion. It's no good just picking up on a blog and going on there and saying something inane and then posting a link to your website. You have to say something intelligent, lucid, and relevant to the post. Otherwise, you just irritate. So, make sure that your comments add something to the article and are informative. If you don't do this, there is a good chance that your comment will simply be deleted, anyway, and then you will just have wasted your own time and the blog owner's time.

What I'd suggest is the following:
- Pick interesting blogs to follow, blogs that are relevant to your industry or your interests.
- Check back on them on a relatively regular basis.
- Read the posts.
- Think of something valuable to add - maybe something from your personal experience, or add your expertise.

If, for example, the post is about switching from using a tape recorder to using a digital recorder, don't just go there and say "I transcribe, send your recordings to me". Chances are that the person has been doing their own transcription for some years anyway. But if you go on there and say something to the effect of "yes, you've made a good choice with regards to your choice of digital recorder, and this is why", and use your link in your identity, then you'll have planted the seed in the mind of the author and anyone else who happens to see the post that you are an expert in this field - and that maybe they should consider approaching you to save themselves some time - by giving you their transcription. Intelligent, informative comments are appreciated by bloggers, simply because they bring a variety of phrases that may well be picked up by search engines - in other words, they bring traffic to the person's blog. So be careful and think about what your comments are - don't be an irritation, be an asset.

Haiti Disaster

Hello everyone, Typewrite Transcription wishes to express its condolences to the people of Haiti after the terrible earthquakes and subsequent loss of life.

South Africans can help by donating to Gift of the Givers

Please show the giving spirit of South Africans.

Outsource your tweeting and blogging to a transcriptionist

Hi everyone,

"Social media" was one of the watch phrases of 2009. It has become one of the most important marketing tools of our time and making use of it correctly is a necessity for the survival of businesses today.

Yet, like everything else, it is time consuming. How many times have you been in your car or another environment where it's not possible to get to the internet, and have thought to yourself "oh I must tweet or blog about such and such a thing", only for the thought to drop from your mind, never to return?

Imagine how easy it would be to note your ideas down or to make a digital recording of that thought or dictate your blog post as you are on your long commute, send it to your transcriptionist to type up, and have it placed on the relevant social network without having to do this work yourself - and freeing yourself up to handle your core business, or to simply relax.

Make the most of this opportunity by outsourcing this work to me.

Proofreading professional

Hi guys,
Proofreading is of exceptional importance in every aspect of a virtual business. Remember, what we are producing is a document, whether we are doing it by transcribing, or by typing, or by researching - and this document has to be 100 per cent correct in every way - including grammar and spelling.

Sometimes, it is hard for a person to spot their own grammar and spelling mistakes, and this is where it is beneficial to enlist the services of a professional proofreader.

In this age of computerised voice recognition software, and other computer generated documents, I believe it is vitally important to pay attention to proofreading. At this stage, software for the most part is not clever enough to differentiate between, say, 'there', 'their' and 'they're'. We are - and that is what sets the human brain ahead of the microchip!

I am promoting this arm of my business:

Get your CV ready for 2010!

Hi everyone.

I would like to wish everyone a very happy new year! I would like to point out that if you are a jobhunter, now is a great time to get your CV up to date, as within the next week or two, the job market is going to be saturated when people who have hung on for their December bonuses and leave make their move for their new job.

Most business owners are also motivated at this time of year to employ new staff, because a new year is new beginnings.

It's important to have the very best CV you can have, simply because often your CV is the first impression a potential employer will have of you, and therefore, if you don't feel comfortable that you yourself can prepare a professional CV, it's wise to enlist the help of professionals who have worked in the recruitment industry, such as Typewrite Transcription and Typing Services CC. Contact me today if you would like help in this regard.