Ok so it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been able to sit down and put some of my thoughts on paper, but it’s been a busy couple of weeks. 247VirtualAssistant.com has been working on a new software tool that should revolutionize the Virtual Assistant Industry. Ok, maybe not revolutionize, but definitely make a lot of people’s lives much easier. The one issue that the Virtual Assistant Industry has been dealing with is the lack of consistency between Virtual Assistants. With the exception of a handful of companies there’s no true “leader of industry” for Virtual Assistants. And because of this, there are no standards in how Virtual Assistants should operate and no guidelines regarding what a client can expect from their Virtual Assistant.  Well, we’d like to change that. I truly believe that the Virtual Assistant industry is poised on the verge of a take off and all we need to do is push it off the edge. So stay tuned Ladies and Gentlemen, because in the next couple of months, we plan on launching a product that will help standardize the way we work as Virtual Assistants.  Sorry, but that’s all I can say for now!

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I have been asked several times by many of our clients regarding how they can get the best results out of their virtual assistants.  Below are couple simple things that should help to maximize the efficiency of your virtual assistant. In my 3 years of experience with www.247virtualassistant.com, I have witnessed that people who follow these procedures ends up getting better results from their virtual assistants.

Spending some time initially with your virtual assistant for the first couple weeks explaining your business or needs and it always helps in the long run. If you are looking for a long term relationship with your virtual assistant, its always worth it to spend an extra 10- 15 minutes with them explaining what you are trying to do, what are the most common tasks that you will have for them and how you want them done. Treat them just like a regular employee and train them accordingly.

Another important part is communication. You must let them know your proffered method of communication (phone, email, IM etc) and you must communicate with them on a daily basis to make sure that they are on the right track. Once they are well trained, may be you can cut down the number of calls or emails per day, but it’s highly recommended that you check on them at least once in a while. Also its recommended that you give them an alternate phone number or email id to use for emergency situations in case they need to get in touch with you and if you are not available on the regular phone or email id. Since virtual assistants will be working from a remote location , they won’t be able to see you or ask questions in person  whenever they need , so make sure to respond back to their phone calls or emails in detail if possible.  This helps to get the jobs done in a timely manner.

The main purpose of hiring a virtual assistant is to save time and money. I can guarantee that if you follow both these simple steps, you will be able to completely utilize your virtual assistant in the best possible way and save both time and money.

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So I was talking to a potential client today who was telling me how he needs a Virtual Assistant but has been burned so many times before by incapable Virtual Assistants. His story sounded familiar. There seems to be many assistants out there who are ruining the name of a great industry. So I decided that it’s time to create a list for clients who don’t want to run into the same situation when talking to a VA.

1. Stay away from the lone VA.

The lone Virtual Assistant is someone who’s heard that being a VA is a great job but has absolutely no bearing on what is required to be an excellent VA. This person knows that they can leave whenever they want to so when the going gets tough and you start asking them to be accountable for their mistakes they can just decide to disappear, along with your money. Try sticking with a US based VA company, someone who not only will be accountable for the work you give them, but will also have other Virtual Assistant’s to lean on in case the workload gets too tough. If possible, try going with a reputed company rather than the lone VA because they would also have the resources needed to handle your work.

2. Guru and Elance are not your friend.

There are plenty of Virtual Assistants on sites like Guru and Elance but hiring someone from one of these sites may be the biggest mistake of your life. Most Virtual Assistants on Guru and Elance have to pay to be on these sites just for the opportunity to bid on your projects. Add to this the fact that they have to compete with hundreds of other Virtual Assistants and all of a sudden their margins become extremely thin. And with such thin margins, you’ll get what you paid for. With a VA company, the employees are actually paid significantly better, allowing them to work as your VA longer and happier.

3. If you want something, ask for it.

After speaking with countless clients, I’ve realized that many of them tend to resist the urge to tell their Virtual Assistant what they want. This is one of the reasons why I tell every client to treat their VA as their own employee. The VA may be many things, but their def. not mind readers. Make sure you communicate to your Virtual Assistant what you need.

4. Don’t sign contracts!

Let’s face it. If there’s any Virtual Assistant out there that tries to lock you into their service, don’t use them. You have no idea how the relationship will turn out and I promise you that it is a relationship, not just a business transaction. Make sure you keep your options open.

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With recent events in Japan, we at 247VirtualAssistant.com have been pretty busy. One of the biggest concerns for our members was trying to get in touch with their loved ones in Japan. Many of our clients had friends and family working or just vacationing in Japan and it was absolutely unnerving to deal with the silence after the quake.

The radiation threat around Tokyo has continued to diminish to the point where we felt comfortable resuming work tomorrow. (The radiation levels in Tokyo, reached their peak level last Tuesday, at over ten times the ordinary level for those areas—high but still well below what is considered dangerous to human health. By this weekend, the peak radiation levels had fallen back down to within the ordinary range.) However, it is important to note that the nuclear reactors have not yet been brought under control. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully if anything to ensure  that our clients have constant updates and can take necessary actions.

I must say that our team at 247VirtualAssistant.com has worked through this crisis commendably, making sure that our clients in Japan and elsewhere were updated regularly and trying to make constant contact with loved ones they haven’t heard from. Some Virtual Assistants also manned clients facebook and twitter account to see if they can contact there. I’d like to thank each and every one of our Virtual Assistants with all the help to our clients in need.

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Missing breakfast can be seen as a way of saving time in the morning, or of losing weight. But the Finnish researchers say those who miss breakfast tend to smoke more, drink more alcohol and take less exercise than those who make time for the meal. And those who missed the meal were likely to be fatter, possibly because they are more likely to have unhealthy snacks mid-morning to boost their energy levels.

People think that if they skip breakfast, they will lose weight. But it is a myth. They gain weight at a faster rate instead because they end up eating more than in the normal course. Stay away from the sugary cereals, syrups, pastries, and white breads because they are digested quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in a couple of hours. Protein and fiber satisfy your hunger and will keep you feeling full until lunch time. If you really don’t like to eat breakfast, you can split it up into two smaller meals. Eat a hard boiled egg at home, and an hour or two later, take a break from work and snack on an apple and a handful of healthy nuts like pecans or walnuts

Skipping breakfast is a common strategy for losing weight, but not a smart one. Breakfast has always been said to be the most important meal of the day. Studies show that children who eat breakfast do better in school. It doesn’t take much further thought to realize adults will feel better and perform better at work as well. Whether you work at home, on the farm, at the office, at school, or on the road, it is not a good idea to skip breakfast. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.

People think that if they skip breakfast, they will lose weight. But it is a myth. They gain weight at a faster rate instead because they end up eating more than in the normal course. Stay away from the sugary cereals, syrups, pastries, and white breads because they are digested quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in a couple of hours. Protein and fiber satisfy your hunger and will keep you feeling full until lunch time. If you really don’t like to eat breakfast, you can split it up into two smaller meals. Eat a hard boiled egg at home, and an hour or two later, take a break from work and snack on an apple and a handful of healthy nuts like pecans or walnuts

No matter how busy you are, make sure to have your breakfast daily, for a study says that skipping the morning meal too often could put you at risk of developing heart disease. Researchers at the University of Tasmania have found that leaving the house on an empty stomach leads to obesity, larger fat stores around the stomach and higher cholesterol levels — all major risk factors for heart disease.

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What is it that makes chocolate so irresistible? A large part of chocolate’s allure, of course, lies in the taste - a deliciously rich concoction that satisfies the most intense craving. Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Before you grab a chocolate candy bar or slice of chocolate cake, it’s important to understand that not all forms of chocolate contain high levels of flavonoids. Cocoa naturally has a very strong, pungent taste, which comes from the flavonoids. When cocoa is processed into your favorite chocolate products, it goes through several steps to reduce this taste. The more chocolate is processed, the more flavonoids are lost. Most commercial chocolates are highly processed. Although it was once believed that dark chocolate contained the highest levels flavonoids, recent research indicates that, depending on how the dark chocolate was processed, this may not be true. But for now, your best choices are likely dark chocolate over milk chocolate

Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content. You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content. You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

This information doesn’t mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits. One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same. Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece.

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After a long stretch of gossips, the Verizon iPhone 4 is finally launched. Customers and non-customers alike have waited for years to see this product on America’s most reliable wireless network. It’s a great opportunity for those who didn’t grab one during the pre-sale. They can now line up at any of several retail stores to purchase the coveted Smartphone.

The strong demand for Verizon iPhone 4 has caused the product to run out of stock and the company has directed the customers and dealers to purchase the product online on Feb. 9 or from stores on feb.10th.The new Smartphone has features like retina display, face time video calling, LED flash camera, folder including multitasking etc. Personal hotspot is an added feature that helps the users to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices. The product is sold at $199 for 16GB model and $299 for 32GB model with two year contract.

On Thursday, 10th February, the iPhone 4 was available online to Verizon Wireless customers. It was the most successful first-day sale in the history of all Smartphone sales, according to the officials. In Atlanta and Georgia, slightly more than a dozen stood in line outside a Verizon store to get the new phone before even the store opened. Customers have been calling for Apple to offer the iPhone on networks other than AT&T for years, in part because that network is known for dropped calls. Now onwards there will be iPhones in the Great Plains states, and they’ll all be Verizon ones.

Although the Verizon iPhone has only one unique hotspot feature, still the technology will be behind the GSM network of AT&T. The only drawback till now. The pre-order sale was so successful that Verizon stopped the pre-orders within few hours. Those who are interested in Verizon iPhone 4 will have to wait for till next week to order.

The tough competition of Verizon has caused the AT&T to launch new attractive plans for the new and existing customers to stick with them. The company brought up an offer which provides customers free unlimited mobile to any mobile calls. But this offer stands only if a customer pays for unlimited monthly texts that cost $20 extra on bill.

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The American Staffordshire terrier, also called Amstaff, is a medium-sized, short-coated dog breed whose early ancestors came from England. In the early part of the twentieth century, the breed gained social stature and was accepted by the American Kennel Club as the American Staffordshire terrier. They are not to be confused with the Staffordshire bull terrier. American Staffordshire terrier fits nicely as a pet, and works well together with older more considerate children as well as other animals.

A common question regarding the American Staffordshire Terrier is, “How is this breed different from the American Pit Bull Terrier?”. In the eyes of the United Kennel Club, they are the same breed, but many disagree. Some AKC-registered American Staffordshire Terriers are dual-registered as American Pit Bull Terriers with the UKC; however, this draws criticism from many who point out that the bloodlines have been separate for too long for these to be considered the same breed. The AKC, on the other hand, does not allow a UKC-registered American Pit Bull Terrier to be registered as an American Staffordshire terrier. To be dual-registered, the dog must first be an AKC-registered American Staffordshire terrier and then it can be registered with the UKC as an APBT — but not vice versa.

American Staffordshire Terriers are confident, laid back, and easygoing. They are also in general good natured, although best for those with some experience of dog ownership. Despite their calm style of life it is important to remember that they were bred to be aggressive towards other dogs, and they may still sometimes act based upon those ancient instincts. Their attitude and reaction when it comes to strangers varies, sometimes they can be friendly, and at other times they can be very aggressive. The lifespan of the American Staffordshire terrier is around 10-12 years. There are some health problems associated with this breed, including eye problems, ligament problems, thyroid disorders, cancer, temperament problems, and cataracts.

American Staffordshire Terriers are confident, laid back, and easygoing. They are also in general good natured, although best for those with some experience of dog ownership. Despite their calm style of life it is important to remember that they were bred to be aggressive towards other dogs, and they may still sometimes act based upon those ancient instincts. Their attitude and reaction when it comes to strangers varies, sometimes they can be friendly, and at other times they can be very aggressive. The lifespan of the American Staffordshire terrier is around 10-12 years. There are some health problems associated with this breed, including eye problems, ligament problems, thyroid disorders, cancer, temperament problems, and cataracts.

The American Staffordshire terrier has a broad, powerful head, short muzzle, very strong jaws. Their ears are generally cropped. Their eyes are round and black. All colors are accepted, as long as they are not more than 80% white. The American Staffordshire terrier is a general happy, stable and confident breed, as well as loyal companion dog. As quoted from unknown source “He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion”.

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Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, feelings and physical well-being. It may include feelings of sadness, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, irritability, or restlessness. Depressed people may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience difficulty concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions, and may contemplate or attempt suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may be present. These are the top 5 symptoms of Depression.

Fatigue - Deep fatigue or a loss of energy is a symptom of depression. Fatigue (also called exhaustion, lethargy, languidness, languor, lassitude, and listlessness) is a state of awareness describing a range of afflictions, usually associated with physical and/or mental weakness, though varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one’s muscles.

Sleep Disturbances - Insomnia or sleeping too much may be a symptom of depression. Insomnia is most often defined by an individual’s report of sleeping difficulties. One definition of insomnia is “difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep, or non restorative sleep, associated with impairments of daytime functioning or marked distress for more than 1 month.

Weight Changes - Significant changes in weight when not attempting to gain or lose (a gain or loss of 5% or more in a month) may be indicative of depression. In children, this may also present as a failure to make expected weight gains.

Brain Fog - A depressed person may have a diminished ability to think, concentrate or make decisions. Cognitive dysfunction (or brain fog) is defined as unusually poor mental function, associated with confusion, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating.

Weight Changes - Significant changes in weight when not attempting to gain or lose (a gain or loss of 5% or more in a month) may be indicative of depression. In children, this may also present as a failure to make expected weight gains.

It is estimated that at any one time, some 16% of the population of the United States is clinically depressed. The condition is actually the leading cause of disability in this nation. By 2020, statistics gathered by the World Health Organization suggest that depression will be the second major cause of disability in the world.

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Stanford University - The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university located in Stanford, California, United States with a strong emphasis on scientific, technological and social science research. The university is located on an 8,180-acre (3,310 ha) campus in northwestern Santa Clara Valley approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of San Jose and 37 miles (60 km) southeast of San Francisco. The university is organized into seven schools including academic schools of Humanities and Sciences and Earth Sciences as well as professional schools of Business, Education, Engineering, Law, and Medicine. Stanford has a student body of approximately 6,900 undergraduate and 8,400 graduate students. Stanford faculty and alumni have founded many prominent technology companies, including Cisco Systems, Electronic Arts, Google, Hewlett-Packard, LinkedIn, Sun Microsystems, and Yahoo!

Brigham Young University - Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah, United States, is a private, coeducational research university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). It is the oldest existing institution within the LDS Church Educational System. It is also America’s largest religious university, and has the third-largest private university enrollment in the United States. Approximately 98% of the 34,000 students at BYU are members of the LDS Church; one-third of its American students come from within the state of Utah. The university’s primary focus is on undergraduate education, but it also has 68 master’s and 25 doctoral degree programs, including a Juris Doctor program. About 70% of student tuition is funded by LDS Church tithing funds, making tuition less expensive than at similar private universities.

Brigham Young University - Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah, United States, is a private, coeducational research university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). It is the oldest existing institution within the LDS Church Educational System. It is also America’s largest religious university, and has the third-largest private university enrollment in the United States. Approximately 98% of the 34,000 students at BYU are members of the LDS Church; one-third of its American students come from within the state of Utah. The university’s primary focus is on undergraduate education, but it also has 68 master’s and 25 doctoral degree programs, including a Juris Doctor program. About 70% of student tuition is funded by LDS Church tithing funds, making tuition less expensive than at similar private universities.

University of Nebraska - The University of Nebraska system is the public university system in the state of Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1869 with one campus in Lincoln, the system now has four universities and an agricultural college. In fall 2010, for the seventh-straight year, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has made U.S. News and World Report’s annual evaluation of America’s Best Colleges’ Top 50 list of Public National Universities. UNL is ranked near the top third of all national universities both public and private, (tied with six others at 104th), and is tied with four other universities as 47th in the “Top 50″ list for public national universities. This places UNL among the top one-fourth of all public universities.

University of Nebraska - The University of Nebraska system is the public university system in the state of Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1869 with one campus in Lincoln, the system now has four universities and an agricultural college. In fall 2010, for the seventh-straight year, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has made U.S. News and World Report’s annual evaluation of America’s Best Colleges’ Top 50 list of Public National Universities. UNL is ranked near the top third of all national universities both public and private, (tied with six others at 104th), and is tied with four other universities as 47th in the “Top 50″ list for public national universities. This places UNL among the top one-fourth of all public universities.

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