The Sounding BoardThe Sounding BoardThe Sounding Board is written by Sandi Johnson of Virtually Yours, LLC and The Sounding Board 4 Biz. Sandi is a professional Virtual Assistant dedicated to supporting passion-driven small business owners through humor, business advice, and tips for b Articles
Catching a Thief
2007-10-18 21:00:00 Well, I finally received a response from one of my two site content thieves. Ms. Marr of Integrity VA finally responded to my email cease & desist request, although her response is quite indicative of her character. I’ll let you all decide what to think after reviewing the facts. Here is her response to my cease & desist request: Ms. Johnson, I have never heard of you nor your company. I apologize sincerely if the copy I wrote for my site is too similar in content for your comfort. I did browse several other VA sites in order to get inspiration for my new business; however, I did not directly “copy and paste” content. Your website was not one of those I viewed. However, because you feel the similarities are too strong to ignore, I will take the page and rewrite the copy again. Hopefully, this time there will be no misunderstanding. I appreciate your bringing this to my attention. Hmm…the content “she” wrote is too similar? Okay. You... More About: Thief
Calling Out a Thief for What They are, a Thief
2007-10-18 14:04:00 I’ve had it! Absolutely had it! I will not abide another thief as long as I live! What am I ranting about, you might ask? Thieves who would rather steal content from true professionals because they are either too lazy, or too unskilled to write content for themselves. I’ve dealt with copyright infringement more than once in terms of the copy I WROTE for my site. I’m just plain tired of being polite & kindly asking people to refrain from using content they’ve already stolen. I’m sick to death of it! In the past, I would send a polite email pointing out the content which constitutes copyright infringement. I would give the offender the benefit of the doubt in that maybe they don’t realize that copying words from someone else’s site and using it as their own constitutes copyright infringement. I’d give them a week or so to take down the content, then follow up with an equally polite second email. Not until they made it clear they were... More About: Calling , Thief
New season, new look
2007-10-17 22:43:00 With Summer quickly coming to an end (much to my dismay!) I thought it time to spruce up the house a bit for the Fall. Of course, my spruce-up job wouldn’t be complete without sprucing up The Sounding Board too! Hope you all enjoy the new look and feel! But be advised…as the weather changes so does my mood, so I might change it again in a few days. Or, it might look the same for the next 100 years. We’ll just have to see where my muse takes me. More About: Season , New Look
So?
2007-10-14 11:19:00 A great colleague of mine, Mia Chambers of Acumen Virtual Assistance brought agreat article to my attention a few days ago. After reading the article, I realized just how much value this tiny little question holds…’so?’ You can read the article itself here, but in brief the article discusses how we let our own inhibitions ...
Working with a professional VA isn?t right for everyone
2007-10-07 16:58:00 As much as I’d love to say that there’s a Virtual Assistant for every possible business out there…the truth is, there isn’t. There are some businesses and business owners for whom a VA just simply isn’t the right fit. Sometimes a business owner’s needs simply warrant an in-house assistant, other times and for other personality ... More About: Working , Professional , Workin , Fess
OPI - Other People?s Issues
2007-09-04 02:46:00 Compassion is important, both in business and personal affairs. It’s important to put yourself in your client’s/customer’s/colleague ’s shoes so that you can be more intuitive to their professional needs. However, at what point does compassion, empathy, and your overall involvement become a detriment to you & your business? That answer is different for everyone. Take for ... More About: People , Issues , Issue
Warning! Speed bump ahead!
2007-09-04 02:45:00 Here you are, cruisin’ along with your business…things are going great! You’re making money, clients are happy, life is good. Then suddenly….BLAM! You hit one of life’s little speed bumps & your happy little journey is derailed. A sudden illness, a death in the family, divorce, there are any number of life’s little speed bumps ... More About: Creativity , Bump , Warning , Speed , Ahead
Making Space for Creativity?
2007-08-23 14:34:00 Do you have your own space for your creative side? It might seem like a simple question, with a simple answer, right? I have a home office to work in. It’s my ’space’ for getting work done. But it isn’t the right place for me to be creative. I walk into my office and I know ... More About: Space , Creativity , Makin
Authenticity?the Utimate Marketing Strategy
2007-08-17 18:59:00 I swear, if I read one more stinkin’ piece of sales copy or hear one more salespersonblatantly trying to ’sell’ me on something, I think I might just scream! I hate it! I really, really do! When I see or hearhard-sell marketing tacticslike that, I get visions of used car salesmen with bad comb-overs, cheap ... More About: Marketing , Marketing Strategy , Strategy , Authenticity , The U
How Do You Like My New Front Yard?
2007-08-14 13:52:00 I’ve been tinkering with The Sounding Board over the last few weeks, trying to find the right theme design to express what The Sounding Board means to me. I think I’ve finally found it (although, I tend to get bored easily…so I might still occasionally change the “view” to a different theme, just to see ... More About: Creativity , Front , Yard
VACOC Guest Expert Series
2007-08-13 12:24:00 Hey guys! I just wanted to share some useful info on the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce’s monthly guest expert series. Every month the VACOC hosts teleseminars withsome of today’s top business gurus. This month’s guest expert is Silver Rose, a motivational speaker and client of my dear colleague, LauraLee Sparks of The Simple Solution. ... More About: Series , Expert , Guest , T Series , Serie
2007 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey
2007-08-12 20:06:00 It’s survey time again! Last August, the Virtual Assist ance Chamber of Commerce conducted its first annual survey of the Virtual Assistant profession. Over 3,000 Virtual Assistants worldwide, primarily from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia were personally invited to participate, and we had a tremendous response! Our survey yielded over 71 pages of data. It’s ... More About: Industry , Survey , Virtual Assistance
Hiring a Professional-101
2007-08-11 15:03:00 Are you really ready to hire a professional to take over some of your business tasks? Are you sure? Really, REALLY sure? Aside from the time, thought, and research it takes to find the right fit for you & your business, YOU have to be ready to ‘let go’ of some of those tasks that have ... More About: Hiring , Professional , Virtual Assistance , Fess
Apples & oranges
2007-08-01 21:23:00 There’s a rather lively debate currently underway over at The Gritty VAabout what constitutes a true professional Virtual Assistant. Danielle Keister, a colleague I have the utmost respect for & feel privileged to call friend, began the debate trying to illustrate the difference between a professional Virtual Assistant practice and a virtual staffing agency. She’s ... More About: Ethics , Apples , Virtual Assistance , Range , Oranges
Not flying solo anymore!
2007-08-01 18:22:00 I’m delighted to announce an addition to the Virtually Yours staff!! As business continues to grow, I have reluctantly realized that I simply cannot do it all. (*GASP* Did I just say that outloud? In public, no less?!?) It’s time to take some of my own advice & bring in some help! So, I have ... More About: Flying , Creativity , Solo
The Fear of Success
2007-07-25 15:29:00 We’ve all heard that phrase…’the fear of success.’ What exactly is that? How inthe world could you be ‘afraid’ to be good at what you do? Isn’t that what every person wants? To be good at what you do and highly sought-after/in demand? Isn’t that what we work so hard to achieve in our professional ... More About: Success , Creativity , Fear , Virtual Assistance
Never fear Mondays again!
More articles from this author:2007-07-09 12:00:00 Back in my corporate days, I dreaded Mondays . Hated them with a passion. It meant I had to go back to work. Yuck! Another 60 hours of bustin’ my hump for a paycheck that barely covered the bills. What fun! Not. I realized yesterday why I love being a business owner. I realized why I truly ... More About: Fear , Virtual Assistance , Onda 1, 2, 3 |
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