Resources

As a Virtual Assistant, I have many excellent resources at my fingertips, which means that I am great at finding solutions to my clients' problems.

Below are some of the resources that I've discovered and/or used over the years. I hope you find this list helpful.

Services I use & highly recommend:

1shoppingcart.com – If you need an all-in-one solution to broadcast your ezine, manage your shopping cart and send out autoresponders, this is the place to go. I've been using this service with many of my clients for almost 10 years.

SelfPromotion.com – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) at its easiest. I love the ease with which I can set up my website to automatically promote to the search engines every six weeks. And the cost can't be beat - you only pay what you think this service is worth!

AAces.com – This is the one and only web hosting service I have ever used for my site, going on 10 years now. My site has never been down and the customer service is OUTSTANDING. For 10 years, if I call or email AAces, I have a response within the hour, usually by telephone. I've also been dealing with the same person (Ross) for all of these years, which is pretty unusual in this day and age. If you are interested, email me and I'll send you a coupon code for 40% off the prices listed on the website.

Email Address Encoder for websites – If you want to make it harder for spammers to harvest your email address from your website, you must check out this website and use it to encode your email address.

AssistU.com – 10 years ago this is where I trained to become a Virtual Assistant. It is my belief that AssistU trains the very best Virtual Assistants in the industry, bar none. If you are looking to become a VA, this is the place for you. If you are looking for your own VA, this is the place for you.

PayPal.com – I have been using PayPal to send and receive payments for almost 10 years. With Transaction Fees at 1.9% to 2.9% + $0.30 USD, it is much more cost-effective than having a merchant account. I also like that I can go back and create a report for any time period and find the information I need; but my favorite service is the ability to withdraw funds and transfer them to my checking account without ever leaving the comfort of my home.

PaybyCheck.com – Another service I have been using since I started my practice. It's very convenient for my clients to click a link and pay me without leaving the comfort of their home or office.

Groove.net – A fantastic collaboration software program that helps teams work together no matter where they are located. I use it with several of my clients. The only downside is that is was purchased by Microsoft® a few years ago (which means it isn't as inexpensive as it once was).

Note: I have not tried all of the services below, some I've only heard about. If I have used a service or software first hand, you will notice ** at the end of the description.

Ezines

1shoppingcart.com – If you already have a shopping cart account with 1SC, this is the way to go. You can also set up unlimited autoresponders to keep in touch with your customers. **

EzineDirector.com – If you are just getting started with your ezine, this is a very capable service and it's free up to a certain number of subscribers. **

The Ezine Queen – Alexandria Brown truly is THE Ezine Queen. Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about ezines. **

Audio and Video

AudioAcrobat.com – The easiest way to create audio or video for your website. **

InstantAudio.com – Phone-to-web service instantly adds your voice to your website or emails.

AudioPodium.com – An Audio Podium allows you to record conversations, meetings, telediscussions, panel discussions – whatever you might want to record, and then makes that recording available to up to 240 simultaneous listeners who can dial in from any phone, anywhere.

Phone Conferencing

FreeConferenceCall.com/ – This is a great service that provides free conference call services. Especially good if you have a last minute call you need to set up. Also, records your calls if needed. **

Writing Tools/Resources

VisualThesaurus.com – The Visual Thesaurus offers stunning visual displays of the English language. Looking up a word creates an interactive visual map with your word in the center of the display, connected to related words and meanings. Click on these words or meanings to explore further. **

StyleWriter-usa.com – The World's Largest Style and Usage checker - is also the world's most powerful editor. It plugs directly into all versions of Microsoft Word, Word Perfect or any Windows application through the Clipboard.

Books:

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation – GrammarBook.com is a wonderful resource for English rules with helpful examples and fun quizzes. **

Interactive Quizzes:

Grammarbook Interactive Quizzes **

Edufind List of English Tests

Capital Community College Grammar Quizzes

Websites:

The Purdue Online Writing Lab

Big Dog's – A bare bones guide to English

Towson University Online Writing Support

Cambrian College Online Writing Support

Capital Community College Online Writing Support

English and Grammar 101

Online Learning Resources

LVSOnline.com – I've taken quite a few online coures here and would do it again. **

EclecticAcademy.com – Another great place to take online classes. I've taken several here and really enjoyed my experience. **

Shopping Carts

FreeShoppingCart.com – A free shopping cart I have used with a couple of clients over the years and it works great! **

Merchant Accounts

Merchant Account – FirstData is the largest merchant processor in the USA. FirstData allows business to transact directly with the processor, eliminating the need for a third party markup from a bank.

Time Management

Genbook – FREE online calendar scheduling. Clients can book their own appointments online and get automatic confirmations, so you can use your time to focus on clients and your business.

TraxTime – A personal punch clock for Windows, this software allows you to track the time you spend on project, quickly and efficiently. **

AirSet – An online web collaboration tool. Not my favorite, but it still works great. **

Social Networking Sites

MySpace – A social networking site that helps you create contacts around the world. **

Facebook – A social networking site that helps you create contacts around the world. **

Ning – Create your own Social Networking site.

Gifts

Zena Moon – Unique hand-poured candles for every occassion. These candles make wonderful gifts. **

Fairy Tale Brownies – Delicious brownies for almost any occassion. I love sending them as Thank you gifts. **

Edible Arrangements – The most awesome fruit baskets you have ever seen. These arrangements make the best gifts! **

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For the convenience of my clients, I accept the following methods of payment: