How Do Spammers Discover Your Email Address?

In some point in your life, you definitely have received an amazing spam email such as this:

Spam is amazing. It just starts coming --out of nowhere-- without any plan, and without a reason.

The biggest question is -- how do spammers find spammable addresses? Quite easy. 

Try to sign up for a new account on Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail and you will discover that guessing an existing user name is not difficult either. Apparently, most short and good names are taken. Therefore it's an easy job for spammers to guess names and just copy and paste those that are labelled taken.

Truly, free email providers are a spammer's paradise.

How to Engage and Motivate your Virtual Assistants

Virtual Assistants are effective workers without the structured environment of the office. Their services are accessible and most importantly, affordable.

However, virtual workforce is still a rather novel concept to many and there are unspoken managerial fear of losing control.

The key to successful virtual assistance services is trust between the worker and the manager, plus constant and open communication.

Here are some tips to engage and motivate virtual workforce:

1. Virtual workforces need alternate forms of employee engagement and motivation. Fostering team camraderie and sharing common goals requires innovative solutions from organizational management. Here are a few ways to motivate your virtual workforce.
   
2. Invest time upfront to form relationships, despite the distance – Even when face-to-face interaction is challenging finding ways to get to know your workforce is critical to team dynamics and camaraderie. Using tools such as video conferencing and group conference calls is helpful in building relationships and creating time for employees to get to know each other.
   
3. Recognize accomplishments in unique ways – Recognition is a powerful driver for keeping employees engaged in their work. Using rewards and incentives, and recognizing employees over virtual mediums for a job well done is a great way to translate a traditional workplace rewards program into a workable virtual solution.
   
4. Create interactive ways for teams to communicate – Create different channels and mediums for conversation in real time among employees and across teams. Maybe this is an internal project management system, or an instant message client that is required for the company, even a video conferencing service for employees helps keep interaction at a normal level and helps foster a community environment. 

Challenges Faced by Virtual Workforce

It may, at first glance, seem like a dream come true to work in the comforts of home or the local coffee shop and never see the boss. However, satisfaction fluctuates wildly among virtual workers. And here are some of the reasons:

• Lack of understanding of the virtual differences, communication and technology needs.
• Managers that do not support virtual workers by reviewing and responding to things online, but expect in person meetings.
• Lack of communication and training on setting expectations for work
• Overuse of certain technology such as e-mail, IM and voice mail – this seems more extreme because they cannot see the virtual worker to tell what they are doing, so expect a quick response.
• Old corporate culture – not accepting of new ideas and work styles.

Gmail's New Tabbed Design - Gives You a Lot More Control On Your Inbox?

Love or hate this Gmail’s new tabbed design?

My take --- I appreciate Google and Gmail for doing the dirty work of segrating my emails, but please let me clean up my own mess!

Hiring a Virtual Assistant Writer

Hiring a Virtual Assistant to do copy writing work such as your promotional brochures, landing pages, ebooks, invitations, and contracts is an epic win for your business. Such Virtual Assistants are often referred to as VA-Writers, a type of Virtual Assistant that can be expected to write well almost everything as long as the Virtual Assistant has top-notched writing skills.

A Virtual Assistant-Writer can do the following for you:

• Constantly write new press release for each of your marketing campaigns
• Create a newsletter or update a weekly e-newsletter
• Make a PowerPoint presentation
• Update your company's social media accounts, herding 'likes' through witty and engaging status messages
• Copy and edit company web pages, landing pages, micro sites and blogs using appropriate and comprehensive content reflecting your company's vision

If you're seeking to employ a Virtual Assistant-Writer make sure she has the right writing skills (can shift tone and writing 'voice') and has adequate experience to write about your industry or the nature of work. You may ask for writing samples or online urls of websites and news bureaus, your Virtual Assistant-Writer has worked for as a freelancer. If you're trying out someone new, a writing test would be apt. Ask your Virtual Assistant-Writer to write a solid piece which includes keywords of your choice and your preferred writing style.

When hiring a Virtual Assistant get the one with the writing chops, that is where you should put your money in.

You and your Virtual Assistant: The Working Relationship

Make sure you give your Virtual Assistant all the necessary instructions before you hand over any tasks. Talk over your arrangements in detail like the number of working hours you expect her to be online, the exact time zone and her days off (which may or may not fall on your weekend). Also reach agreements on how and when payment is to be made, whether through Paypal or wire transfer, and the fees and charges for overtime and extra work, and any other additional arrangements.

After you have talked over the arrangements and the specific agreements, put them on paper, so they can be referred to at a later time by both parties to avoid any misunderstandings and problems. Do include a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement among the contracts in order to protect your business.

In hiring a VA offer a reasonable salary based on their skill set, you can pay by the hour or per project, then you may decide to increase their salary after a probationary period if they are great and worth keeping.

The Best Advice to Get Work Done

Find time in your daily life to be more of who you really are. 

Work should not feel like a burden. Because work nourishes you, feeds you and your family, your perceptions of work should always stay in the positive line or else this would affect your aspirations and motivations towards success. But how does one get more work done?

Success doesn't mean you have to be alone in managing your business. Success at work means learning to allocate time and tasks without burning yourself out. One of the hidden arsenals behind successful entrepreneurs is a hiring a Virtual Assistant. You don't need a platoon of workers to get things done, you just need a one man army, in this case- a reliable Virtual Assistant.

With a Virtual Assistant manning the fort, you can relax at home and feel more energized to pursue activities that matter most to you. More time for yourself, means more time to devote towards creative free-thinking and honing your business mindset. This will eventually resolve itself into earning more profits for your business.