blogging

New Look Coming Soon

Posted by Laurie on Nov 14, 2008 in blogging, Inspiration | 1 comment

Just an fyi, as you check in on this blog or my virtual assistant site if you see anything wonky, especially in the color scheme, it’s cause I’m having it adjusted a bit and a new logo designed. Nothing wildly different, just hopefully a little more professional and elegant. I loved the pink personally, but thought a green shade would be more suitable to my target market.

And I have to say, I think it’s great to do a site/blog review every few months to make sure that it is working for you. Nothing has to be forever and a little updating can be just the thing to attract a new client or simply inspire you to post more! I change things up fairly regularly over at my mom blog, but have hesitated to play too much with this one because I do think it’s important not to go all crazy on a business blog! Then I tried to play with the color scheme just a little and realized that while I could figure out the css a bit, I couldn’t redo my own logo too well, so thankfully I’ve hired Brianna of Mad Hatter Web Design to come to my rescue! She originally helped me with the site using an already existing logo, and I knew she was just the person for this job! And the draft of the new logo is so pretty that I feel even better about my choice.

Hope everyone had a great Friday and a wonderful weekend. I’m off to be soccer mom tomorrow for the morning and then cookie baking in the afternoon. Of course I’ll be checking my Twitter regularly throughout – take care!

Lawyers Taking on Twitter

Posted by Laurie on Nov 12, 2008 in blogging, Legal Practice, networking | Comments Off

It’s not even surprising anymore for me to find interesting articles about lawyers and their use of Twitter.  After the great (and still growing!) list over at JDScoop I personally gained several followers from the legal field and found several new people I wanted to follow as well.

Ever since there has been an increasing number of fabulous articles about how Twitter can benefit legal practices.  Thanks to a couple of tweets (hat tips to @StephKimbro‘s retweet of a comment by @kevinokeefe!) I just read a very interesting article over at Lawyers USA about the growing number of lawyers using Twitter to network and market.

I know I only recently I was contracted by a new client who tweeted about needing a virtual assistant. I responded and the rest is history! So for anyone who is still just thinking about using Twitter, or who maybe doesn’t feel they are realizing Twitter’s potential, come on over to Twitter, sign up if you need to and follow me!

Oh and if you need a guide to using Twitter I’ve got a couple places you should check out. Darren Rowse (of Problogger fame) has a great site called TwiTip full of fabulous tips for using Twitter. Also, Grant Griffiths has a really great series called Twitter for Lawyers on his Blog for Profit site.

Hope to tweet with you soon!

BlogHer 09 in Chicago

Posted by Laurie on Nov 10, 2008 in blogging, networking | Comments Off

I just read that it has been decided that BlogHer 2009 will be held in late July in Chicago – now just to figure out if I can go or not! They are combining the BlogHer Business Conference with the BlogHer Annual Conference, which is a great idea! I think attending the conference will be a great way to network for my virtual assistant business, as well as to meet some fellow mom bloggers.  Oooh, gonna have to do some searching now to see who else is going to try and attend!

My husband would love to go to Chicago, and we could make a family trip out of it, although at the same time I’d love to go just by myself so I’m not torn between family and work as I often seem to be. Do you prefer to combine work and pleasure when traveling for conferences or do you keep everything very separate? I’d love to hear from you!

Blogs are So Last Year

Posted by Laurie on Nov 1, 2008 in blogging, Entrepreneurial, networking, virtual assistance | 2 comments

Are blogs really last year, last decade, pointless? That was the message I got when I read a recent article in Wired magazine entitled Kill Your Blog. Paul Boutin seems to have been reaching a bit too far in the article though, at least in my opinion.  And I’m a huge Twitter fan, which is one of the platforms Boutin advocated as a replacement for blogging.

I had picked up Wired last week while on a grocery run and the article really surprised me.  But Halloween and sick kids made life a little hectic these past few days and I didn’t have a chance to blog until now, when I was reminded by a post on the subject over at Real Lawyers Have Blogs. I totally agree with Kevin, as useful of a networking tool as Twitter is or sites like Facebook, they do not offer one the chance to truly establish oneself as an expert in a particular niche.

For example, I am working on setting up a Facebook page for my business and I think it is an interesting tool, and a place to connect with either other virtual assistants or potential clients. I think it works best though in conjunction with my blog, not as a substitute for it!

I think blogs offer a great hub for a business.  They are a place to communicate, provide important news and information about your business, and to provide proof that you are still operating not some business that doesn’t even exist anymore.  I also think they are a place to establish your expertise in your niche, which as Kevin had pointed out in his blog, is a significant benefit for a lawyer who chooses to blog. So I do not agree that you should “Kill Your Blog”, there is a lot of life left in it!!

Friday Finds, Virtual Assistant Style

Posted by Laurie on Oct 17, 2008 in blogging, networking, virtual assistance | Comments Off

This week I read some great blog entries by some of my fellow virtual assistants, and I just had to share them all with you.  I love the virtual assistant community, and am so glad I can network with these great people!

Over at VANetworking’s new blog, was a great post by Jaime Lee Mann.  Jaime said she originally posted it on her own blog, but didn’t get any comments.  Too bad, it’s a great article!! Glad I found it now.

Tina of Clerical Advantage shares an interesting spin on virtual assistant services in her post Here Comes the Bride’s Virtual Assistant.

April, someone I am happy to work with on the NAVLA site, had a great post this week, which included reference to the list of 50 most powerful and influential women in social media. She delved into the topic of focus, something I need to work on too!

Another must-read post of the week comes courtesy of one of those top 50 women, Alyssa Gregory, from her VA Secrets Revealed book blog.

Finally I’d like to share an incredible post from Stacy Brice of the Virtual Moxie Blog, an industry leader in the world of virtual assistance. This post will be immensely helpful to any VA getting her practice up and running right now. For that matter, if you’ve been a virtual assistant for a while but are struggling, this post could really help you out.

Stacy’s post was part of the Blog Action Day event this week. I posted my own poverty related post over on my mom blog.

Have a great weekend everyone, and happy reading!

Twitter Marketing for Lawyers

Posted by Laurie on Oct 13, 2008 in blogging, networking | 1 comment

Thanks to @moanderlawfirm I read this interesting article in the Wisconsin Law Journal (written by a new Twitterer @janepribek).  It’s got a nice description of setting yourself up on Twitter and shares info from Chris Moander about how using Twitter has helped his solo law practice. He’s gained clients and done plenty of networking.  I’ve also gained clients from Twitter and have to say Twitter is a fabulous networking tool in my opinion.

I also need to point out though that I don’t agree with Chris’s suggestion in the article that you weed out people who “discuss weeding their gardens”. I like to hear the personal and business stuff. Actually, the only people I unfollow are ones who are TOO business oriented and clearly only there to self-market.  Twitter really is a conversation.  I want to hear about your kids, terrible traffic and even your garden!! I like a real mix – and I get it on Twitter!  Otherwise I’d say stick to regular blogging, then you don’t have to interact if you prefer not to, just spout your own message. The best networking contacts for me have been ones I can establish something in common with (maybe even a love of gardening).

I’d love to hear from any of you? Do you use Twitter for marketing, networking, just personally? Which types of Twitter people do you follow or unfollow?

That’s it for now, tweet you later!! Oh and make sure you follow me @halosecretarial!