Deserted Island Top 10 A Professional Virtual Assistant Shares Her Must Haves

Back in the day, when I was Lori �Computer Babe� Davis, I managed Microsoft and Novell LANs and WANs. I was constantly surrounded by high-level technologies and loved it! These days, my home office is on a much smaller scale and yet, I fully employ technology to make me happy and to make my life easier. Submitted for your reading pleasure are Lori�s Top 10 I�m Trapped on a Deserted Island and I Do Have Electricity Must Haves. ** Microsoft Outlook I L-O-V-E Outlook � one of the most important secrets of my success. I�m using the 2002 version while I contemplate the 2003 upgrade. Outlook gives me all the tools I need and the three features I use most are e-mail, calendar and tasks. I manage e-mail accounts for numerous clients and Outlook makes it easy to setup and manage new accounts. In addition, Microsoft�s Signature facility is superb. I use a third-party tool (see below) to help me manage calendars for my clients. Imagine having the ability to manage a client�s calendar who�s three time zones away. Trust me, it can be done! Outlook�s Tasks folder helps me everyday, letting me know what�s due for that day and what I need to focus on in the future. I use Outlook to manage my professional and personal lives, and the schedules for my clients. Tools for the Home Team Holy remote access, campers! 4Team has a great offering of products (http://shareoutlook.4team.biz/) that let you share Outlook with your clients. I use Calendar4Outlook for a number of my clients and they�re amazed, and pleased, with the software�s functionality. Calendar updates are sent via e-mail and are applied automatically. No �click here to update� hassles. I see the client�s Calendar in real-time and book their appointments without having to call them to verify their schedule. Invaluable tools which I encourage you to demo. Believe the Skype Hype Skype�s tagline says it all, �Skype is free Inteet telephony that just works.� Checkout their site at http://www.skype.com. Skype is free (cool), easy to setup and even easier to use. Skype is inteet telephony and an instant messaging package all in one. I used Skype last year when I was recruiting Santas for the Desktop Santa project. I interviewed hundreds of Santas, some of whom were located in Canada and the United Kingdom. Could you imagine my phone bill if I had used a conventional telephone service to call the U.K. and Canada? I can and it�s a bill I�m not willing to pay! I used Skype to stay in touch with my Santas who were outside of CONUS (the continental United States). If you�d like to test Skype, I�m more than happy to help! Feel free to contact me and we�ll test Skype together. The Tank I snub my nose at today�s keyboards -- they�re too small and they have no bounce-back. I�m sure there�s a technical term for �bounce-back,� I just don�t know what it is! To the rescue comes my IBM keyboard, which I affectionately refer to as The Tank. The Tank is 20� wide, 8.5� in depth and jet black. The Tank is hefty -- I estimate it weighs approximately 10 pounds. The Tank�s claim to fame is that perfect bounce-back and tactile feel of the keys. I type very fast (120 WPM) and The Tank allows me maintain a fast typing speed. I was lucky enough to find The Tank at a tag sale in San Francisco many years ago. The seller only wanted one buck for this beautiful piece of equipment. Can you believe it? An original IBM keyboard for $1.00. Score! Hopefully The Tank will live forever so I don�t have to resort to using mode day keyboards! No More Sliding at the PO stamps.com is a fantastic tool and an incredible use of the Web. I login to my account, purchase and print postage for standard letters, postcards and special delivery packages. The best part of using stamps.com is I no longer have to wait in line at my local Bronx post office, where my average wait time was nearly one hour. That�s a lost hour in my book � time which could be better spent working with my clients or snuffing out the competition. Cool Timer (http://www.harmonyhollow.net/) This little gem of a desktop timer is one of my fave freebies. I set the timer at the start of scheduled interviews, always setting the timer for 30 minutes. Cool Timer then bellows when time�s up. It�s free, it�s small and incredibly useful. Just the Fax, Ma'am (All right ... I know it's an old joke!) eFax gives me freedom � freedom from having yet another piece of equipment on my desk! In addition, the company�s monthly pricing is on par with what I would pay for a separate telephone line. You must scan hard copies of documents before faxing, but I do very little of that type of faxing, anyway. My outgoing faxes are either Word, PowerPoint or Excel documents. Check them out at www.efax.com. Funny Web Site Name; Great Little Tool I love the �Memento� software from Guys with Towels (http://www.guyswithtowels.com/downloads.html). Little desktop sticky notes which I use to jot down fleeting thoughts and other ideas. Keep �em on your desktop or hide �em away when you�re done. Must � Upload � Website My FTP (file transfer protocol) software of choice is CuteFTP Professional by GlobalSCAPE. Easy to use and also loaded with enhanced capabilities. A girl�s gotta have a way to upload her site! See them on the web at http://www.globalscape.com. Clip, Snip & Share TechSmith�s (http://www.techsmith.com/) SnagIt is a fab-u-lous screen capture utility. SnagIt allows me to capture a wide variety of things, include text, images and web pages. The program is super easy to setup and use, as well. I hope I�ll never be stranded on a deserted island � truth is, I�m afraid of deep water! In the unlikely event I�d ever have to run my business from an island, I�ll need to ensure I�ve got my top 10 tools handy and ready to go! I�d love to hear from you. What are the tools you simply cannot live without? ** All products and names are trademarks of their respective company. Copyright 2005 Lori Davis. All rights reserved. Deserted Island Top 10 A Professional Virtual Assistant Shares Her Must Haves

Back in the day, when I was Lori �Computer Babe� Davis, I managed Microsoft and Novell LANs and WANs. I was constantly surrounded by high-level technologies and loved it! These days, my home office is on a much smaller scale and yet, I fully employ technology to make me happy and to make my life easier.

Submitted for your reading pleasure are Lori�s Top 10 I�m Trapped on a Deserted Island Must Haves. **

Microsoft Outlook

I L-O-V-E Outlook � one of the most important secrets of my success. I�m using the 2002 version while I contemplate the 2003 upgrade.

Outlook gives me all the tools I need and the three features I use most are e-mail, calendar and tasks. I manage e-mail accounts for numerous clients and Outlook makes it easy to setup and manage new accounts. In addition, Outlook's Signature facility is superb.

I use a third-party tool (see below) to help me manage calendars for my clients. Imagine having the ability to manage a client�s calendar who�s three time zones away. Trust me, it can be done!

Outlook�s Tasks folder helps me everyday, letting me know what�s due for that day and what I need to focus on in the future.

I use Outlook to manage my professional and personal lives, and the schedules for my clients.

Tools for the Home Team

Holy remote access, campers! 4Team has a great offering of products (http://shareoutlook.4team.biz/) that let you share Outlook with your clients.

I use Calendar4Outlook for a number of my clients and they�re amazed, and pleased, with the software�s functionality. Calendar updates are sent via e-mail and are applied automatically. No �click here to update� hassles. I see the client�s Calendar in real-time and book their appointments without having to call them to verify their schedule.

Invaluable tools which I encourage you to demo.

Believe the Skype Hype

Skype�s tagline says it all, �Skype is free Inteet telephony that just works.� Checkout their site at http://www.skype.com. Skype is free (cool), easy to setup and even easier to use. Skype is inteet telephony and an instant messaging package all in one.

I used Skype last year when I was recruiting Santas for the Desktop Santa project. I interviewed hundreds of Santas, some of whom were located in Canada and the United Kingdom. Could you imagine my phone bill if I had used a conventional telephone service to call the U.K. and Canada? I can and it�s a bill I�m not willing to pay! I used Skype to stay in touch with my Santas who were outside of CONUS (Continental United States).

If you�d like to test Skype, I�m more than happy to help! Feel free to contact me and we�ll test Skype together.

The Tank

I snub my nose at today�s keyboards -- they�re too small and they have no bounce-back. I�m sure there�s a technical term for �bounce-back,� I just don�t know what it is!

To the rescue comes my IBM keyboard, which I affectionately refer to as The Tank. The Tank is 20� wide, 8.5� in depth and jet black. The Tank is hefty -- I estimate it weighs approximately 10 pounds. The Tank�s claim to fame is that perfect bounce-back and tactile feel of the keys. I type very fast (120 WPM) and The Tank allows me maintain a fast typing speed.

I was lucky enough to find The Tank at a tag sale in San Francisco many years ago. The seller only wanted one buck for this beautiful piece of equipment. Can you believe it? An original IBM keyboard for $1.00. Score!

Hopefully The Tank will last forever so I don�t have to resort to using mode day keyboards!

No More Sliding at the PO

stamps.com is a fantastic tool and an incredible use of the Web. I login to my account, purchase and print postage for standard letters, postcards and special delivery packages.

The best part of using stamps.com is I no longer have to wait in line at my local Bronx post office, where my average wait time was nearly one hour. That�s a lost hour in my book � time which could be better spent working with my clients or snuffing out the competition.

Cool Timer (http://www.harmonyhollow.net/)

This little gem of a desktop timer is one of my fave freebies. I set the timer at the start of scheduled interviews, always setting the timer for 30 minutes. Cool Timer then bellows when time�s up. It�s free, it�s small and incredibly useful.

Just the Fax, Ma'am (All right ... I know it's an old joke!)

eFax gives me freedom � freedom from having yet another piece of equipment on my desk! In addition, the company�s monthly pricing is on par with what I would pay for a separate telephone line. You must scan hard copies of documents before faxing, but I do very little of that type of faxing, anyway. My outgoing faxes are either Word or WordPerfect documents.

Check them out at www.efax.com.

Funny Web Site Name; Great Little Tool

I love the �Memento� software from Guys with Towels (http://www.guyswithtowels.com/downloads.html). Little desktop sticky notes which I use to jot down fleeting thoughts and other ideas. Keep �em on your desktop or hide �em away when you�re done.

Must � Upload � Website

My FTP (file transfer protocol) software of choice is CuteFTP Professional by GlobalSCAPE. Easy to use and also loaded with enhanced capabilities. A girl�s gotta have a way to upload her site! See them on the web at http://www.globalscape.com.

Clip, Snip & Share

TechSmith�s (http://www.techsmith.com/) SnagIt is a fab-u-lous screen capture utility. SnagIt allows me to capture a wide variety of things, include text, images and web pages. The program is super easy to setup and use, as well.

I hope I�ll never be stranded on a deserted island � truth is, I�m afraid of deep water! In the unlikely event I�d ever have to run my business from an island, I�ll need to ensure I�ve got my top 10 tools handy and ready to go!

I�d love to hear from you. What are the tools you simply cannot live without?

** All products and names are trademarks of their respective company.

Copyright 2005 Lori Davis. All rights reserved.

Lori Davis is Director of the Future at Davis Virtual Assistants, a New York-based VA firm. To lea more about Lori and DavisVA, please visit http://www.davisva.com and http://loridavis.typepad.com/davisva/. You may contact Lori at 917.319.8224 and via e-mail at lori@davisva.com.

Deserted Island Top 10 A Professional Virtual Assistant Shares Her Must Haves

Back in the day, when I was Lori �Computer Babe� Davis, I managed Microsoft and Novell LANs and WANs. I was constantly surrounded by high-level technologies and loved it! These days, my home office is on a much smaller scale and yet, I fully employ technology to make me happy and to make my life easier.

Submitted for your reading pleasure are Lori�s Top 10 I�m Trapped on a Deserted Island Must Haves. **

Microsoft Outlook

I L-O-V-E Outlook � one of the most important secrets of my success. I�m using the 2002 version while I contemplate the 2003 upgrade.

Outlook gives me all the tools I need and the three features I use most are e-mail, calendar and tasks. I manage e-mail accounts for numerous clients and Outlook makes it easy to setup and manage new accounts. In addition, Outlook's Signature facility is superb.

I use a third-party tool (see below) to help me manage calendars for my clients. Imagine having the ability to manage a client�s calendar who�s three time zones away. Trust me, it can be done!

Outlook�s Tasks folder helps me everyday, letting me know what�s due for that day and what I need to focus on in the future.

I use Outlook to manage my professional and personal lives, and the schedules for my clients.

Tools for the Home Team

Holy remote access, campers! 4Team has a great offering of products (http://shareoutlook.4team.biz/) that let you share Outlook with your clients.

I use Calendar4Outlook for a number of my clients and they�re amazed, and pleased, with the software�s functionality. Calendar updates are sent via e-mail and are applied automatically. No �click here to update� hassles. I see the client�s Calendar in real-time and book their appointments without having to call them to verify their schedule.

Invaluable tools which I encourage you to demo.

Believe the Skype Hype

Skype�s tagline says it all, �Skype is free Inteet telephony that just works.� Checkout their site at http://www.skype.com. Skype is free (cool), easy to setup and even easier to use. Skype is inteet telephony and an instant messaging package all in one.

I used Skype last year when I was recruiting Santas for the Desktop Santa project. I interviewed hundreds of Santas, some of whom were located in Canada and the United Kingdom. Could you imagine my phone bill if I had used a conventional telephone service to call the U.K. and Canada? I can and it�s a bill I�m not willing to pay! I used Skype to stay in touch with my Santas who were outside of CONUS (Continental United States).

If you�d like to test Skype, I�m more than happy to help! Feel free to contact me and we�ll test Skype together.

The Tank

I snub my nose at today�s keyboards -- they�re too small and they have no bounce-back. I�m sure there�s a technical term for �bounce-back,� I just don�t know what it is!

To the rescue comes my IBM keyboard, which I affectionately refer to as The Tank. The Tank is 20� wide, 8.5� in depth and jet black. The Tank is hefty -- I estimate it weighs approximately 10 pounds. The Tank�s claim to fame is that perfect bounce-back and tactile feel of the keys. I type very fast (120 WPM) and The Tank allows me maintain a fast typing speed.

I was lucky enough to find The Tank at a tag sale in San Francisco many years ago. The seller only wanted one buck for this beautiful piece of equipment. Can you believe it? An original IBM keyboard for $1.00. Score!

Hopefully The Tank will last forever so I don�t have to resort to using mode day keyboards!

No More Sliding at the PO

stamps.com is a fantastic tool and an incredible use of the Web. I login to my account, purchase and print postage for standard letters, postcards and special delivery packages.

The best part of using stamps.com is I no longer have to wait in line at my local Bronx post office, where my average wait time was nearly one hour. That�s a lost hour in my book � time which could be better spent working with my clients or snuffing out the competition.

Cool Timer (http://www.harmonyhollow.net/)

This little gem of a desktop timer is one of my fave freebies. I set the timer at the start of scheduled interviews, always setting the timer for 30 minutes. Cool Timer then bellows when time�s up. It�s free, it�s small and incredibly useful.

Just the Fax, Ma'am (All right ... I know it's an old joke!)

eFax gives me freedom � freedom from having yet another piece of equipment on my desk! In addition, the company�s monthly pricing is on par with what I would pay for a separate telephone line. You must scan hard copies of documents before faxing, but I do very little of that type of faxing, anyway. My outgoing faxes are either Word or WordPerfect documents.

Check them out at www.efax.com.

Funny Web Site Name; Great Little Tool

I love the �Memento� software from Guys with Towels (http://www.guyswithtowels.com/downloads.html). Little desktop sticky notes which I use to jot down fleeting thoughts and other ideas. Keep �em on your desktop or hide �em away when you�re done.

Must � Upload � Website

My FTP (file transfer protocol) software of choice is CuteFTP Professional by GlobalSCAPE. Easy to use and also loaded with enhanced capabilities. A girl�s gotta have a way to upload her site! See them on the web at http://www.globalscape.com.

Clip, Snip & Share

TechSmith�s (http://www.techsmith.com/) SnagIt is a fab-u-lous screen capture utility. SnagIt allows me to capture a wide variety of things, include text, images and web pages. The program is super easy to setup and use, as well.

I hope I�ll never be stranded on a deserted island � truth is, I�m afraid of deep water! In the unlikely event I�d ever have to run my business from an island, I�ll need to ensure I�ve got my top 10 tools handy and ready to go!

I�d love to hear from you. What are the tools you simply cannot live without?

** All products and names are trademarks of their respective company.

Copyright 2005 Lori Davis. All rights reserved.

Lori Davis is Director of the Future at Davis Virtual Assistants, a New York-based VA firm. To lea more about Lori and DavisVA, please visit http://www.davisva.com and http://loridavis.typepad.com/davisva/. You may contact Lori at 917.319.8224 and via e-mail at lori@davisva.com.