VideoLan VLC For Your Multimedia Needs

VLC Media Player Photo Credit

Are you the type of person that likes to play CD’s and DVD’s on your computer? You came home with a new DVD you just bought but when you inserted the DVD on your computer a error message saying “multimedia can’t be played” or “missing codec” or something alike. Your trusty Windows Media Player doesn’t work on the new DVD. Really frustrating isn’t it. Maybe it’s time to switch to another multimedia player like VideoLan VLC Media Player.

Slide.com Personalize Your Photos and Slideshows

Make It Your Own Photo Credit

Sick and tired of the plain photos and slideshows you keep on posting on your Facebook profile and nobody seems to care? Do you want to make your pictures and videos less dull-looking when posting them on your Facebook profile? If you want your profile to stand out, you should take a look at what Slide.com has to offer.

The interface is fairly intuitive, along with the navigation. All the buttons are bright and shiny so it would be difficult to get lost. The site also allows you to customize the look and theme of your slideshows, from having tiny bubbling hearts drift by, to lightning forking up the sides of the photos.

Screencast It Using Jing

Jing by TechSmith Photo Credit

What are you going to do when a less computer savvy friend of yours asks for your help in dealing with an application? You tried explaining it to him but it seems that your words are not enough. You tried taking snapshot but he still doesn’t know what to do about it. Frustrating isn’t it? You wish you have another way to get your message across.

Good thing there’s Screencast. A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture, often containing audio narration. Screencasts are a useful tool for ordinary software users as well, to help report or to show others how a given task is accomplished in a specific software environment. Screencasts are excellent tools for learning how to use computers, and several podcasts have started to teach computer users how to use software through screencasts. Unfortunately, some screencast applications are subscription based. If you are looking for cheaper alternative you should check Jing by Techsmith.

Carbonmade: Your Online Portfolio

Your Online Portfolio Photo Credit

A good portfolio is a virtual assistant’s gateway to the world. It’s the primary factor that clients evaluate when hiring for a new project or a gig and it’s the first thing peers and friends look at to determine a virtual assistant’s skill. With the obvious importance of a portfolio, it’s no wonder most virtual assistants spend hours, days, or weeks creating something that looks awesome. Having a good portfolio is just that important.

The explosion of web applications in recent times has resulted in numerous ways to promote yourself. A professional web designer may have the ability to create their own portfolio site, but what about the rest of us and most of all the newbie virtual assistants? Fortunately, there is Carbonmade.

Surviving Data Disaster: Backupify Your Social Life

Disaster Recovery Photo Credit

Do you have a Facebook, a Twitter, an Email Account, a Flickr, or a YouTube account? Who doesn’t? Almost everyone in the world has one. Socialising on the web is great fun but what happens when the social networking service could be hit by downtime. Or your social media accidentally deleted your account like Mirco Wilhelm, whose Flickr account was mistakenly wiped out, along with the 4,000 photos, comments, and working hyperlinks in it, could have saved himself some amount of heartache had he backed up his online data.

It’s not uncommon for people to save their data all over the place on their hard drive – or even on multiple computers. But have you considered backing all your online data? All your tweets, photos, videos and even your wall posts. Mirco could have saved himself if he had signed up for Backupify, a handy utility that backs up social and cloud-based services.

Virtual Assistant Project Management: A System for Better Productivity and Collaboration (Part 2)

Cloud Storage Photo Credit

This is the 2nd part of a 4 part series delving on a Project Management System, an Online Virtual Storage Utility, a Password Management Program, and a Time Management Program and how it is linked together to help you make sure that you get all of your work done on time. Either you are a Virtual Assistant working for a client or a Team Leader working on a project or a small business owner that outsources its business, this one is for you.

Part 2: Online Virtual Storage Utility

What would you do if something happened to your computer? Say, it caught fire, was stolen, or got drenched in your energy drink while working in those rush jobs. If you were using a good backup solution you could just keep on working, otherwise you could be in a lot of trouble.

Virtual Assistant Project Management: A System for Better Productivity and Collaboration (Part 1)

Project Management Photo Credit

This will be a 4 part series delving on a Project Management System, an Online Virtual Storage Utility, a Password Management Program, and a Time Management Program and how it is linked together to help you make sure that you get all of your work done on time. Either you are a Virtual Assistant working for a client or a Team Leader working on a project or a small business owner that outsources its business, this one is for you.

Let’s start with Part 1: Project Management System.

For many Virtual Assistants the project planning tasks that go along with freelancing may seem kind of overwhelming especially if they’ve never done any project planning. Other Virtual Assistants may find that they need to provide the same kind of project plans to their clients that would have been required of them in the corporate world. Either way, project planning can be a lot of extra work. The project planning task is difficult to handle without good tools to work with.

Get Organized with Evernote

 to Remember Everything Photo Credit

Are you organized? Or like to organize? Are you a “pen and paper” person that likes to take notes? And “post it” and “planners” are your best friends.  Well, pen and paper, are quite arguably the greatest productivity tool ever created to date. Some people like to stick to the old school method of organization, but most of the times face the seemingly never ending search of all the notes you have taken. Sometimes you have to spend quite some time sorting all the notes you have gathered from one project to another. Frustrating, isn’t it?

I’m sure you know that sometimes pen and paper is a good solution, but sometimes you have to stop and think though:  are you actually slowing down your productivity, or helping it?

Virtual Assistant Project Management: A System for Better Productivity and Collaboration (Part 3)

Password Management Photo Credit

This is the 3rd part of a 4 part series delving on a Project Management System, an Online Virtual Storage Utility, a Password Management Program, and a Time Management Program and how it is linked together to help you make sure that you get all of your work done on time. Either you are a Virtual Assistant working for a client or a Team Leader working on a project or a small business owner that outsources its business, this one is for you.

Part 3: Password Management Program

Not everyone needs a computer to do their work, but those of us who do tend to be stuck to our computers like glue. With the amount of time we spend at our computers, it’s no wonder there are a lot of tools dedicated to making that time more efficient and you more productive. You can reduce the time you spend filling out web forms and logging onto subscription sites with RoboForm the industry leader in password management software.

Web Based Invoicing Tool to Make Sure You Get Paid

Send Invoices Photo Credit

We all know how important it is to keep track of everything, especially when we’re talking about “money“, cause you do wanna get paid.

Introducing BillingBoss by Sage a web-based free invoicing tool designed for small businesses and freelancers to create, send, and track one-time and recurring invoices; assess taxes and record payments; and share data with an accountant or bookkeeper. These services are free with no limits on the number of invoices and quotes you can create.

Virtual Assistant Seminar

GO! Photo Credit

It has been two weeks since I attended Jomar Hilario’s How to Work from Home as a Virtual Assistant Seminar. I first learned about Sir Jomar Hilario from Bo Sanchez’s blog. I wanted to attend sir Jomar’s Online Workshop but unfortunately at that time I don’t have the financial support I needed to attend the seminar. I tried to learn on my own by watching instructional videos on YouTube but it made my situation worse. A lot worse... I was overwhelmed with information but I can’t make things connect. I need help. So I decided to attend sir Jomar’s How to Work from Home as a Virtual Assistant Seminar. I really wanted to learn how to work at the comforts of my own home and earn simultaneously for the longest time now. I’ve heard a great deal of online-work-from-home but I was hesitant because I don’t want to get myself into scams. As soon as the event schedule was posted, I immediately signed up for a slot.

And, without a doubt, the seminar was a success having a speaker with an outstanding knowledge and a little bit of humor kept things lively even in a cold and rainy weather. We were given homework so that we can apply what we have learned.

Sir Jomar is a very committed, hands-on instructor. He will go out of his way just to check his students’ work.
I am done doing a part of our homework as virtual assistant and will upload the tutorials in a bit.



To our pursuit for success,

Wil Palermo
Blog: http://filipinovatipsandtricks.blogspot.com
Follow me in Twitter: http://twitter.com/wilpalermo_va