WordPress Website Design Packages Coming Soon!

I know this may be a little early to promote now, but I wanted to go ahead and let my blog readers know that I will be putting together WordPress website and blog design packages together very soon and will be promoting here on this website and also promoting the packages on my new website, Wordpress to Website. My new site is still in its planning stages, but it will be fully functional soon.

Right now, the WordPress to Website site is my teleclass promotion that anyone can still sign up for and be a big part of a ground-breaking call that opens up the concept of using WordPress not just for blogs, but also for a fully functional website too.

So be on the lookout for these website packages to come your way soon! I CANNOT wait to share them with you.

A Joint Venture Opportunity

As a professional Virtual Assistant and website designer, I have the opportunity to work with other colleagues in my industry to form a joint venture (or JV) and offer a complete package of services that would include all of our expertises rolled up into one deal for small business owners. And I’m not just talking about two people here. We’re talking four individuals that have a lot of creative services that would round out what a client would need.

So not to let the cat out of the bag too early, I will tell you that I will be offering WordPress site packages, coupled with training services for the program. As the venture starts to shape up, I will share my experiences in how well it’s coming together. I believe that not only will it be a fun, collaborative effort, but it will also be an opportunity to make another source of income for our businesses. Really…it’s all about making multiple streams of income and this is just one of the many avenues that I will be focusing on this year.

WORDPRESS TO WEBSITE Preview & Training Call, July 9

Come join me on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 3:00 PM EST for a Preview and Training Call on:

WORDPRESS TO WEBSITE:

Demystifying the Common Misconception that WordPress is Just for Blogs!

On this preview webinar, I will share with you:

• The common misconceptions of WordPress and how you should dispel of them

• How you can use WordPress for your business website and your blog

• Key features of the WordPress platform

• Hosting companies that support instant install of the WordPress platform

• And many more tips to share!

So reserve your spot now for this FREE preview call on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 3:00 PM EST

Click Here to Register.

Grab Your Facebook Profile Name Today

As of Saturday, June 13, Facebook allows you to create your unique profile name so that you can provide a link to potential followers using your name instead of a ID number. I quickly grabbed mine, which gave me flexibility as to how I wanted my profile name to look.

For those of you who have a common first name and last name, and if you haven’t already, be sure to create your user name right away because it may already be taken.

You can click here to set up your new profile name:

http://www.facebook.com/username/

If you are not already on my list on Facebook, you can find me here:

http://www.facebook.com/AlethaMcManama

WordPress Version 2.8 is Now Available for Download

For you WordPress enthusiasts (like me), WordPress has just released it’s latest version, 2.8, to the public this week. And, of course, I have already upgraded! You will notice instantly that there are changes in the widgets and theme search areas. For more information on the new features, visit here: http://wordpress.org/development/2009/06/wordpress-28/

And here’s a captured video of the new features in WordPress 2.8:

If you already had the WordPress 2.7 version, then it takes less than a minute to click on the link at the top of your dashboard that allows you to upgrade instantly to 2.8. Some of the older versions of WordPress will require you to download the 2.8 version zip file and upload the files manually to your site server. But you must take caution when you are uploading the new files that you DO NOT copy over php files located in the “wp-content” folder. For detailed instructions on how to upgrade manually, click here to be directed to the WordPress Codex area.

And for your skeptics, you may want to wait to upgrade to the WordPress 2.8 version as bug fixes are worked out over the new few weeks. But I could not wait!

Going Cheap is Not Always the Best Value

Discussing the topic of cheap services is nothing new to the Virtual Assistant or small business industry and I have actually wrote about this before, but thought it was necessary to re-educate the VA community on what seems to be the norm now more than ever.

I recently had a prospective client consultation and I really felt a synergy between myself and this “PC”, but what ended up being a great prospect turned out that this business owner wanted to hire a Virtual Assistant overseas where he was only paying a few dollars per hour for a large number of hours per month. Sound familiar? This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. As a matter of fact, I am seeing it happen more and more because biz owners want to go “cheap” and hold on to every dollar they have. And it’s the fear of the recent sagging economy that is causing people to look for a better value for their money. But really, they are not getting a better value!

I know of a number of times that I have had prospective clients come to me that used the service of a company or a solo VA overseas, and they ended up having to discontinue the service due to miscommunication or a lack thereof. Sometimes getting through the language barrier becomes an issue between the VA and the client. When a client invests their money into a company that they end up canceling with, they have lost money and they have not gained a DIME of extra income.

Another observation that I discovered is when you work with a VA company or a solo VA abroad, you may only get someone that performs tasks and it not really be someone that can invest their time to help you build your business. And that is what a successful Virtual Assistant or an Online Business Manager should be able to do for you…they should be the right fit for your business model, having knowledge of your industry and your business processes.

Finding a Virtual Assistant that can be proactive in assisting you in areas of marketing, organization (setting up and implementing streamlined processes), or taking on a bigger role as your online business manager, can take some time to choose. But choose wisely. Do not sign up with the first VA company or VA professional that has the cheapest price. In my opinion, a rate of $5 – $10 per hour is way too low to partner with a VA. When you review the higher rate of a professional VA, consider the return of investment once you realize the money that the VA has brought to your business because they helped you promote your products or services. It’s well worth spending that extra money so that you can focus on what really matters to you…working on your business, growing your business to its highest level.