Outlook, SharePoint, and Business Technology

Free SharePoint Workflow Videos - SharePoint Designer is now FREE

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:23:37 +0000

One of my very favorite SharePoint blogs, EndUserSharePoint recently posted 5 free videos on using SharePoint Designer to create custom workflows for your SharePoint site.

Now that the SharePoint Designer software is a free download, there are no obstacles for you to create cool and wonderful workflows for your business. If you are a virtual assistant that supports clients in their SharePoint environment, just imagine how grateful they’ll be when you dive in and solve many of their business processes via the automation magic of workflows.

Go ahead. Put your cape on, you ARE a rock star!

I’m embedding the videos for your convenience here, but make sure you take an extra trip over to the EndUserSharePoint blog. You won’t be disappointed!

Happy SharePointing!

Andrea

Tags: business process automation, free sharepoint training videos, free software, sharepoint designer, sharepoint workflows

2 Girls Talk Tech - Discussing Email overload, Wordpress for websites, and the new Palm phone

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:44:15 +0000

Andrea Cannavina and Andrea Kalli discussed many topics during our hour long Blog Talk Radio live show on March 13th.

What we covered:

How to get a handle on email overload by using the DAFT system that Andrea C. created.
Following up with Andrea K. about the project to convert her static HTML website to a Wordpress platform.
Gave a heads up about the soon-to-be-released Palm Pre mobile phone. Andrea C. has a video demo of the phone you can view from her website.

Andrea C. gives the DAFT system away when you sign up for her newsletter from Legal Typist.

Listen to a recording of our live show, audio included in this post.

Andrea

Tags: Andrea Cannavina, blogtalkradio, convert html to wordpress, d-a-f-t, DAFT, palm pre mobile phone, using wordpress for website

Going Mobile With Your SharePoint

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:02:50 +0000

Did you know that your SharePoint site automatically has a mobile version of itself? It’s just one of those great hidden features nobody seems to talk about. Not sure why…

Take care of tasks, projects, issues…all from your mobile phone and sitting at the airport (or wherever).

What’s most appealing about this feature is that you’re not having to deal with the difficulties of scrolling around the site on your tiny mobile phone screen. It’s a lightweight environment that won’t bog you down. You get in, find the info you need, you get out. Bada Boom, Bada Bing.

Check out the video included in this post.

Andrea

Tags: mobile, phone, portable, sharepoint, team, website

Branding Your SharePoint Site With Your Logo

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:33:59 +0000

Branding your SharePoint site with your own logo. It’s one of the first things people do when setting up a SharePoint site. It’s really easy, even if it is rather hidden.

Check out the video included in this post:

Andrea

Tags: branding, image, logo, sharepoint

Outlook Calendar Overlay Mode for Multiple Calendars

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:31:06 +0000

When you are the one managing multiple calendars, this feature is a time-saver! Can you imagine looking at 10 calendars all at once trying to determine the best place to enter an appointment? I personally know people who have to do this daily and they just rave about this feature. It gives you the “big picture” which makes it easier to know who’s available, what spots are open, etc.

Check out the video demo included in this post.

Tags: calendar, manage calendars, multiple, Outlook

Static HTML or Wordpress. Which will you choose?

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:36:20 +0000

The most recent BlogTalkRadio show for 2 Girls Talk Tech focus on my current project for the new year, converting my static html website to a Wordpress site. The project is still in progress, but I’m hoping to have everything converted in the next few weeks.

Listen to Andrea Cannavina and myself talk about the pros and cons of a technology shift such as this, that every business should be aware of when they’re thinking about designing or changing their business website.

I’ll be documenting this project for a blog series when it’s all completed and working, so that it hopefully helps anyone thinking of making such a move. I’ll also list all the great resources I found that helped me though this process, as well as the coolest Wordpress plugins I am using that address some of the issues of working with a Wordpress site.

Tags: convert html, convert static website, using wordpress for website, wordpress

Import Contacts from Excel to Outlook - Best Practices Revealed

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:25:06 +0000

How to import a list of contacts from an Excel spreadsheet into Outlook. There are a few gotchas you need to watch out for during this process, so I’m giving you the lowdown and best practices for a successful importing experience. Plus, I share with you my little hidden secret trick for better contact management near the end. Keep an eye out!

Check out the video included in this post.

Tags: contacts, excel, import, Outlook, spreadsheet

2 Girls Talk Tech - Debut Show 11-21-08

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:17:39 +0000

Talking Turkey About the Technology We Are Thankful For

What a blast! Andrea Cannavina and I have started a radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/2GirlsTalkTech to, well…talk about tech stuff.

Our debut show was on November 21, 2008, at which time we talked about:
1) the mobile technology that we use for our businesses
2) why it’s so important to have a reliable backup strategy in place, and how it saved both of us recently
3) and some great websites and ideas for Christmas gifts for the tech-head

Our plan was to talk for about 20-30 minutes and then take callers, but we ended up talking the full hour ourselves! Not our idea to do that, we just kept on talking and talking. It really was a lot of fun.

We’ll do one of these shows around each of the U.S. holidays during the year and theme the show around the theme of the holiday. Sounds kinda fun, huh!?!

Anyway, we hope you’ll join in on the fun as we work our way through the holidays in fun and style. Tech style, that is!

Be sure to keep on the lookout for our next live radio show, scheduled around New Year’s, at www.blogtalkradio.com/2GirlsTalkTech.

I’ve included the audio of the show with this post. Take a listen!

Andrea

Tags: Andrea Cannavina, Andrea Kalli, blogtalkradio, business, computer backup, mobile technology, technology, Thanksgiving

Create an Add This Event file for your website

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:18:30 +0000

Ever wonder how to create an “Add This Event” link to your website for your own events? It’s easy to do using Outlook!

You’ve seen them on other websites, right? When you sign up for something there’s either a little icon or a link that lets you add the event directly to your own calendar. Now, you can do the same. It’s so easy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it before.

Check out the video included in this post.

Tags: add this event, calendar, event, Outlook, website

Outlook Mail Merge for Holiday Card Labels

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:08:01 +0000

It’s that time of year again!

Getting ready to do your holiday card mailings? Preparing to send invitations to your next big event? I show you how to do a label mail merge with Outlook and Word by using your Outlook Categories.

This same process is good for any reason you want to do a letter or label mail merge for any specified group of contacts, and categories is the key. Any contact folders in Outlook will work, including SharePoint contact lists and Exchange Server public folder contacts.

Check out the video included in this post to see this process in action.

Tags: cards, categories, christmas, contacts, holiday, labels, mail, merge, Outlook, sharepoint

Quick Scrolling Through an Email Conversation in Outlook 2007

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:16:18 +0000

This happens to just about everyone out there - You are collaborating on something with a group of people. There is a lot of information flying about and emails are shooting through the air like juggling pins. This little-known feature in Outlook 2007 provides a way to quickly find the beginning of each of those emails being sent and recieved. It’s hard to explain, that’s why I like video demos!

Check out the video included with this post.

Click To Play

Tags: email conversation, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips, scrolling through email

Shop Better in EBay and Craigslist using Outlook RSS

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:04:34 +0000

What do RSS feeds, shopping on EBay and Craigslist, and Outlook have in common? — A shopping experience that lets you be first to respond on a new item.

Yes, it’s true. If you’re an online shopper, I’ll just bet that the shopping site you use has RSS feeds on your search list based on keywords you enter. The video included in this post shows you how to use them in EBay and Craigslist.

Check it out!

Tags: alerts, craigslist, ebay, Outlook, rss, shopping

Sending an Email with a Hyperlink to a File

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:49:27 +0000

This tip is targeted to users of corporate Outlook in a network.

Oftentimes you’ll want to send a co-worker an email and include a link to a file that is located in a network location. It’s very easy to do in Outlook, but it’s not very clear on how to do it.

I’m here to clear that up for you with the video demo I’m including in this post.

Click To Play

Tags: email, hyperlink, link to file, Outlook, Outlook tips

Remove Large Email Attachments, but Keep the Email in Outlook 2007

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:10:29 +0000

Some users like to keep the email they send and receive for a fairly long time, and most of the time they just keep them in Outlook. Not the best practice, but hey, it’s not the worst either. For those of you that do keep your emails in Outlook for a very long time, you may be faced with a storage issue at some point.

In Outlook 2007, you have the ability to quickly and easily save the attachment to your computer, remove the attachment from the email, then create a little note for yourself telling you what you did with the attachment.

Check out the video included with this post.

Click To Play

Tags: email attachments, email storage, large email, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips

Combine RSS feeds using Yahoo Pipes for your Facebook Notes

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:47:37 +0000

Let’s start with the end in mind.

Your Ultimate Goal: Pull in all posts from your multiple RSS feeds into the Facebook Notes application.

You have a Facebook profile and/or Page. Facebook has a default application called Facebook Notes. You have several places you submit articles to or write posts on, and each one of those has its own RSS feed. Each time you post to any one of these places you would like it to be displayed in your Facebook Notes app. Why use Facebook Notes instead of adding a 3rd party Facebook RSS application that allows you to pull in multiple feeds?

It’s simple, really.

The Facebook Notes app is the only one you can tag your friends in.

To find out more about why tagging in Facebook Notes is awesome, you must check out Mari Smith’s blog post on the subject. Here’s the problem: Facebook Notes only allows you to import one RSS feed. So…what can you do? You want to have a “mashup” of all your RSS feeds into one and create a single “combination” RSS feed. Fortunately for you, there are several online tools that allow you to do this, but today I’m going to show you how to use Yahoo Pipes to accomplish this.

I’m including some YouTube videos (not my own) on how to work with Yahoo Pipes to build your combination RSS feed. Plus, I’m also including my video on how it works in the Facebook Notes application and what the final results look like. I also found a blog article listing some cool ways to use Yahoo Pipes, so if you’re interested in finding out more about it - check it out.

I have to tell you though, using Yahoo Pipes takes some getting used to. They do provide tutorials and I highly recommend reading them, but to get right to the point of this post, the YouTube videos I’m including are quick and easy. Perfect for what we want to know right now about how Yahoo Pipes fits into what we want to accomplish in Facebook.

YouTube Videos: You’ll notice you can accomplish the same thing by using different methods. A huge thank you to the creators of these videos!

Here’s my video included in this post:

Click To Play

I hope you enjoy this tip!

Tags: combine multiple rss feeds, facebook, facebook notes, facebook notes tagging, mari smith, mashup rss feeds, note tags, rss feeds, social marketing, yahoo pipes

Calendar Printing Assistant - bringing Outlook printing out of the dark ages

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:52:03 +0000

While I LOVE Outlook and all it can do for managing your daily business information, one area that has always been lacking for me is in calendar printing options.

Never Fear - the Calendar Printing Assistant is here!

A free download from Microsoft, the Calendar Printing Assistant for Office Outlook 2007 is an application for people who need an easy way to print and customize their Outlook 2007 calendar information. It puts you in control of the tools you need and helps you plan and create designer-quality output.

A very cool feature is the ability to print multiple calendars in either side-by-side view or overlay mode. Awesome!

There are plenty of calendar templates to choose from, including a way to print your own yearly calendar with your custom picture. S-W-E-E-T!

They are authored in a documented, open XML file format, which makes them easily extensible to third parties.

Check out the video included with this post.

Click To Play

Tags: calendar, custom printing, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips, print, print calendar

Virtual Assistants, Business Professionals, and Social Marketing

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:37:15 +0000

Listen in on a panel discussion between several virtual assistants, as we talk about our role in helping our clients handle their social marketing strategy. Hear first-hand the concerns, some do’s an don’t’s, and brainstorming ideas taking place during the conversation. Audio is below.

This is a direct follow-up to my earlier podcast, when Facebook expert Mari Smith and I talk about how business professionals can utilize virtual assistants to help them manage their social marketing.

Tags: facebook, linkedin, mari smith, social marketing, twitter, virtual assistants

Create a Social Marketing Team - Business Professionals and Virtual Assistants

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:15:22 +0000

As a business professional, are you thinking of hiring a virtual assistant to help you enter the world of Social Marketing?

Earlier this week Mari Smith and I had an absolutely wonderful and eye-opening conversation about the relationship between a business professional and their virtual assistant when it comes to Social Media Marketing. Mari is not only a fantastic Facebook coach and guru, but she also utilizes a virtual assistant to help her with her own social marketing strategies and provides us with the business professional’s point of view. Invaluable stuff here! Check out the audio of our conversation below

We discussed how important it is that the virtual assistant and the business professional work together to determine what the virtual assistant will be doing for them, and what they’ll be handling themself. This 2-way communication is the foundation to a successful business relationship. It’s a team effort.

Yes, it’s true. The business professional will need to have a hands-on approach on certain things, which Mari and I discuss in detail during our conversation. Without both parties working together on the social marketing strategy, it is doomed to fail. Or in the least, it will not be as successful and productive as you had hoped.

Another point that was so obvious during our conversation was the fact that the virtual assistant MUST have some personal experience within the various social networks. That’s why, as a virtual assistant, you really need to get a bit of training and dig into them yourself. Your clients are counting on you to be their guiding light. You don’t have to be an expert, just experienced.

The key topics we discussed were:
1) Things a virtual assistant can definately do on behalf their client.
2) Things a virtual assistant most definately SHOULD NOT do on behalf of their client.
3) Things that COULD be done by a virtual assistant on behalf of their client, based upon the relationship between the VA and client, and how well they know them.

Our conversation was so engaging, an hour went by in a flash. It took twists and turns and new ideas unfolded on-the-fly. There are many other aspects of this topic and ideas to discuss that Mari and I both agree we’ll be continuing our discussion at a later date.

As a Relationship Specialist, Internet Marketing Consultant, and Facebook Coach, Mari is a wealth of information and inspiration to us all on how to effectively and properly interact with each other in our internet relationships. She is a joy to speak with and a truly genuine person.

You can find out more about Mari’s expertise, programs, and services at:
www.marismith.com
www.whyfacebook.com
www.facebook4pros.com

Looking for a virtual assistant? Check out these resources and submit an RFP (Request for Proposal):

IVAA: www.ivaa.org

VANetworking: www.vanetworking.com

Check out the audio of our conversation below.

Tags: facebook, mari smith, social marketing, twitter, Virtual Assistant

Widgenie - the user-friendly on-the-fly widget creator

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:16:45 +0000

Widgenie = Widget + Genie. Get it! Widgenie!

I interviewed Scott Rutt of LogiXML about their free product, Widgenie. His demo shows us a few examples of uses, and how easy it is to work with this tool and customize it with the easy-to-adjust settings.

What makes this tool stand out is that it doesn’t just create widgets, but shareable widgets with data that is automatically updated when the backend data changes, no matter where the widget is located. It could be on 20 different websites and all of them would update based on the source data. Very cool! Imagine the possibilities and business applications. I can already hear your gears a-turnin’

Check out the video demo. Audio only also available, if you don’t want to watch it but only listen to the interview.

Click To Play

Tags: business data, business widget, free widget, share business data, widgenie, widget, widget generator

What is Expired Email in Outlook and how do I use it?

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:07:16 +0000

Here’s a scenario…
You are offering a time-sensitive coupon or other offer to your clients and you want to send them an email all about it. For as many versions as I can remember, Outlook has provided a way to set an expiration date on your emails, both outgoing and incoming (but we’re only talking about setting it for outgoing in this demo). You don’t have to be on an Exchange Server to use this feature either, which is nice. Something I didn’t mention in the video demo is that you can also set a reminder flag on that same outgoing email. You’re doing everything possible to let your recipients know that they’ve got an email from you that will be expiring and they should check it out soon.

Watch the video demo.

Check out our newest video course on our E-Learning Center, “Outlook 2007 Essentials”, for only $24.95.

Click To Play

Tags: email, expire, expired email, Outlook, Outlook tips

Add some pizzazz to your email by using SmartArt

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:06:38 +0000

Email. Boring.
Boring ol’ email. We are all guilty of delivering the same ol, same ol’ text emails. Outlook 2007 has a great new feature called SmartArt. Actually, it’s in the other Office 2007 products as well, not just in Outlook. It provides a way to display information in a graphical format. Very easy to use, lots of options to customize. A way cool tool for those that deliver information via email. Sound like you?

Check out the video below.

Click To Play

Tags: email, email chart, email graphics, Outlook, Outlook tips, smartart

How To Use Twitter For Business

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:59:19 +0000

Twitter is such a hot topic these days in the world of social marketing.

I recently held a free course for my fellow virtual assistants, called “Using Twitter for Business”, and recorded it through GoToMeeting.

I’ve also just created a new HubPage called “How To Use Twitter For Business“, which includes a lot of details and links to the great Twitter tools I use and others I recommend.

Check out the video below to see Twitter and some Twitter tools in action! It’s nearly an hour, so it may take awhile to download.

Click To Play

Tags: social marketing, twitter, twitter for business

New and Improved Flagging feature in Outlook 2007 - in honor of Flag Day

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:19:24 +0000

In honor of Flag Day, this Outlook video tip is about the new and improved flagging features of Outlook 2007. It takes your productivity to a whole new level, what with tight integration with the new To-Do Bar of Outlook, keeping up on what you need to keep up on has never been easier. List Makers Unite!

Thanks to my friend and colleague, Andrea Cannavina of www.legaltypist.com, for suggesting the idea for this video tip.

Check out the video.

Click To Play

Tags: email category, email flag, email reminder, flag day, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips

Strapped for time? Social Marketing Success in Under 30 Minutes a Day

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:27:08 +0000

Facebook! LinkedIn! Social Bookmarking! Blogs! Podcasting! AAARRRGGG!

Are you feeling the pressure of not being able to fit social marketing into your schedule? We’ve built a program just for you!

We developed a course that has been specifically designed for those that are already stretched on time, but still want to use social marketing sites and strategies to build and market their business. Sound like anyone you
know??

With this email-delivered program, you can create a complete social marketing strategy with limited amounts of time to devote to its growth. Juggling everything may seem daunting, but with a regular
schedule, you’ll be able to maximize your efforts with less time than you think.

Who this program is perfect for:
• -those that believe they are too busy to fit social marketing into their schedule.
• -those that are overwhelmed by all they read that they SHOULD be doing.
• -those that can commit to spending 15 to 30 minutes a day to tend to their social marketing structure.

Why this program is different from other social marketing courses:
• -It won’t cover absolutely everything available in the social marketing arena, which is likely to overwhelm you.
• -It will focus on the most effective strategies.
• -It provides a companion website for course material and ongoing news, tips, and ideas in the social marketing world – this is located in the E-Learning Center.
• -We’ll be helping you to participate in your social marketing strategy in manageable chunks.

-Program plan:
• -Setup – Your first 6 emails will be once a week and are focused on laying the groundwork for your success. These are spaced so you’ll have plenty of time in between each one to get everything done.
• -The Grunt Work — After the groundwork is done, you’ll receive daily emails for the next 21 days walking you through how to effectively market your business using the social networking sites and other strategies.
• -Follow-up — After the daily emails, we’ll follow up with reminders, tips & tricks once a week for 4 weeks, then twice a month for 2 months
• -Companion Website to keep you current. Fresh and new content is added regularly! All the material that is received via email is also posted here. Perfect for those that want to speed up or slow down the course. I’ve already posted an additional 14 bonus content items, with more to come.

The cost is only $85 for both the email-delivered program PLUS 6 months access to the companion website and all the bonus content. To sign up, go to: www.virtualassist.net/amember and log in. If you’re not already registered, you’ll be asked to register first.

Here’s to your social marketing success!

Andrea

Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC

www.virtualassist.net

Click To Play

Tags: article marketing, blogging, facebook, linkedin, podcasting, social marketing, social marketing course, social marketing training, twitter

File Collaboration using SharePoint - Part Two

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:23:31 +0000

since this is Part Two, I’ll just repeat what I wrote in Part One…

I just love this feature! This is one of the best integration features between Office 2003/Office
2007 and SharePoint.

The task pane is named something different in Office 2003 than it is in Office 2007, but the
functionality is still the same.

These task panes allow you to access and modify content in a SharePoint site from within Office
without having to navigate to the site using your browser. The feature is available in the following
Office 2003 and Office 2007 applications: Word, Excel, Microsoft Project, OneNote, PowerPoint, and
Visio.

The Shared Workspace or Document Management task pane provides a link that will open the site in a
browser window and an Update button to refresh the site contents and displays the following tabs of
information:

1) Status
2) Members
3) Tasks
4) Documents
5) Links
6) Document Information

All of these tabs include a Get Updates button that retrieves the latest information from SharePoint
and refreshes the task pane.

Check out the Part Two video below.

For 10+ hours of full end-user SharePoint Services training, check out our E-Learning Center. Only $24.95!

Tags: collaboration, document, excel, microsoft, sharepoint, sharing, team, word

File Collaboration using SharePoint - Part One

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:22:37 +0000

I just love this feature! This is one of the best integration features between Office 2003/Office
2007 and SharePoint.

The task pane is named something different in Office 2003 than it is in Office 2007, but the
functionality is still the same.

1) Status
2) Members
3) Tasks
4) Documents
5) Links
6) Document Information

All of these tabs include a Get Updates button that retrieves the latest information from SharePoint
and refreshes the task pane.

Check out the Part One video below. Part Two is coming in a few weeks.

Tags: collaboration, document, excel, microsoft, sharepoint, sharing, team, word

Sharing your Outlook Distribution Lists

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:25:08 +0000

I know, I know…it’s only been a few days since my last podcast. But I just had to try out my new Aweber Blog Broadcast feature that I’ve connected to this blog site. If all goes well, it will replace the emails you normally get if you’ve subscribed to this via the email option. I have noticed it seems to get confused by the video player I put in my posts, so we’ll see if I like it enough to keep it, or if I’m sticking with what I have. I’m still testing, but will keep you posted, especially because you’ll get another opt-in email.

Anyhoo…on to the new video tip.

Let’s talk about how to share your Outlook Distribution Lists with others. This is so simple it’s not even funny. If you have distribution lists and you want to send them to others, simply include them as attachments in your email to them. Once the recipient gets your email they’ll drag and drop the attachment to their contact folder in Outlook. Didn’t I tell you it was easy?!??!

Oh and absolutely, sharing a distribution list is not to be confused with sending your contact items.

The send method for contacts will depend on just how many contacts we’re talking about. Less than 30, I’d use the Send As vCard feature (select the multiple contacts>Actions menu>Send as vCard. The terminology is a little different in Ol2007, but it’s in the Actions menu area. If it’s a lot of contacts then they should export out as csv file, send to you, and you import them from the csv file.

Watch the video below to see this process in action.

Tags: distribution list, Outlook, Outlook tips, share outlook

Workin’ the Outlook Address Book Your Way

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:46:59 +0000

I based this video tip on a question that was emailed to me by someone who read a presentation I did a while back on utilizing Outlook for Contact Management

Here’s her question:

I enjoyed your tutorial on Outlook Contact Productivity. I have a question. How does one arrange to see company infomation when in an e-mail and pulling up one’s personal contact list to find a specific company name first and secondly, the user name options associated with that company? I have been searching for this information and it has been eluding me for months. Thanks so much for your insight!

This is one of those questions I’ve been asked many times over the years, which automatically makes it a perfect topic for a video tip.

I hope you find it helpful.

Watch the video below:

Tags: address book, Contact Management, contacts, Outlook, outlook address book, Outlook tips

Outlook and Business Contact Manager on OVERDRIVE! Pinpoint Marketing Tool Demo

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:08:18 +0000

As promised in an earlier podcast, here is the video demo of the Pinpoint Marketing Tool from www.pinpointtools.com. This great product will take your Outlook or Business Contact Manager to the next level in two very important areas:

Marketing campaigns - Schedule your “drip” marketing by combining emails, postcards, and letters into campaigns to stay top of mind.
Action Plans and Automation - Create Action Plans to be more efficient - enter a pre-defined set of tasks with just one click.

You really MUST see this in action! Watch the videos below - there’s a part 1 and a part 2 to keep the video size small. The video player has a Fullscreen Toggle button to see it better.

PART 1:

PART 2:

Tags: BCM, Business Contact Manager, Contact Management, CRM, Outlook, Outlook 2007, pinpoint marketing

2 Way Sync between Google and Outlook Calendars

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:06:17 +0000

RECENTLY RELEASED!

Google has released a sync tool which provides an AUTOMATIC 2 way sync between your Google and your Outlook 2003 or 2007 calendar. It was easy to install and set up, plus it works! Just log into your Google calendar and you’ll see it at the top.

If you don’t want 2-way sync, that’s cool too. You’ll be presented with sync options.

Check out Google’s article on it.

First, download the application and go through the installation process. Once installed, there are 3 options you can choose from:

2-way sync, applies changes to both your Google Calendar and Outlook calendars with each other
1 way sync where Google Calendar events will be presented on your Outlook calendar
1-way sync where your Outlook calendar events are presented on your Google Calendar.

Check out the video below.

Tags: calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips, sync

Top 20 Ways To Use SharePoint Effectively

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:09:30 +0000

I’ve found that people have a general idea of what SharePoint is, but many have no idea how to apply it to their own business.
I’d like to share with you the top 20 ways that SharePoint can solve your common business needs. And I want to emphasize that these 20 are only a few of the many ways to utilize the SharePoint Services. Once you start using it, you will begin to realize the many other valuable benefits that can easily be accomplished by the everyday user.

As an additional bonus, the accompanying audio podcast includes a description of what SharePoint Services is, the key components of it, how you can get it, and how much it costs.

Shall we get started? Let’s see if you can find a few productivity solutions here that you’ve been trying to find for your own organization.

With SharePoint you can:

1. Store all your emails on a secure and centralized Website for easy archive.

2. Keep a central task location for assigning tasks to team members. These tasks will automatically show up in your team’s Outlook 2007 To-Do List. Those tasks will also link to your projects so you can easily find out what tasks are still open for each project.

3. Organize large events and store the related documents, assigned tasks, and generally post anything and everything related to the events. It will also integrate with Outlook for added efficiency.

4. Collaborate with team members on all documents and stay on top of who did what. Earlier versions can easily be restored in case someone has made too many mistakes. Projects can also be linked to related documents.

5. Assign tasks to your team members, and automatically notify them that they have a new task. Alerts are sent when there have been updates to the tasks.

6. Quickly manage all projects for your team or organization so there’s no need to explore buying an expensive project management solution.

7. Use the efficient check-in / check-out management feature to sort your documents.

8. Implement a help ticket resolution for your organization or team without breaking the bank.

9. Start a private company blog to communicate and share ideas with your team that’s viewable only by those you give access to.

10. Gain more control over your company’s documents with the content approval function.

11. Offer training materials to your teams, clients, and/or partners in a password-protected Website that can be accessed anywhere in the world.

12. Offer a secure and private place to share documents and other information with clients and/or partners.

13. Access and work with your data using your Internet-enabled mobile phone for added convenience while traveling or out of the office at client meetings.

14. Create better team communication and brainstorming sessions where everyone can participate when their schedules permit.

15. Centralize where company and team project announcements are posted. Everyone will receive a notification via email or mobile phone automatically, anywhere in the world.

16. Work offline on the files, project tasks, tasks, discussions, contacts, calendars, blogs, etc. and then sync the updated information later on.

17. Create “central” documents (and syncronize), so all team members, clients, and/or partners are able to work on the same document and make changes. Updates are accessible with a click of a button. Everyone can then sync back to the “central” document and have all edits merged into that single document.

18. Easily add custom fields to any area and capture the information that’s most important to your company, all without the help of a web designer or IT person.

19. Pull up and update Microsoft Access 2007 database from a local desktop and sync information to a central location that can be accessed from any where at any time.

20. Create a project dashboard where on one page you can view and filter on common project elements, such as: project details, project documents, project tasks, project issues, project calendar, project milestones, project lessons learned, project risks, project change orders, and more.

On top of it all, you won’t spend a fortune to meet these communication, collaboration, and organizational needs.

Don’t even get me started about the integration features between SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office 2007 - particularly Outlook 2007 - IT’S INCREDIBLE! A few of the ideas above do require Office 2007.

Keep in mind that a little training goes a long way in increasing productivity in the products you use in your business. I highly recommend taking the time to learn this efficient and effective tool and watch your productivity, along with your profits, soar!

ADDITIONAL GOODIES:
As promised, here’s a link to my website where I have a long list of SharePoint Hosting companies

Happy SharePointing!

Listen to the podcast below:

Tags: business sharepoint, how to use sharepoint, Outlook, sharepoint, sharepoint ideas, use sharepoint, ways to use sharepoint

Product Spotlight: Pinpoint Marketing Tools - productivity tools for Outlook or Business Contact Manager

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:31:42 +0000

In this audio podcast, I’m interviewing Lon Orenstein of Pinpoint Tools. His company has a primary focus on creating solutions for the small businesses and entrepreneurs of the world that use Microsoft Outlook, Business Contact Manager, and ACT.

Lon is the author of the Business Contact Manager for Dummies book.

Our discussion centered on his product, Pinpoint Marketing Tools, which really has two primary functions:

1) Automating marketing plans and drip campaigns

2) Automating the creation of Action Plans for Projects

Here’s what we talked about:

· We talked about the enhancements with the current version of Business Contact Manager 2007 over earlier version.

· We spoke about his industry-specific template products for Realtors, Mortgage professionals, and Financial Advisors.

· He showcased the flexibility and customization features of Business Contact Manager using a real-world example.

· He told us about pinpointDelivery, which provides the following features:

· Send large numbers of emails without upsetting your ISP or tying up your servers.

· Stay compliant with the CAN-SPAM laws in the U.S.

· Create surveys and registration forms to insert into your emails or website.

· He spoke about the latest Microsoft hosted solution for CRM Live, expected availability is this spring.

Lon can be reached at: lon@pinpointtools.com, or via a contact form on his website – lon@pinpointtools.com, or via a contact form on his website – www.pinpointtools.com.

We’re going to also be posting a demo video on the Pinpoint Marketing Tool in a later podcast episode, but if you can’t wait to see this incredible product in action or you want to find out more about the other products he has to offer, then you should definitely check out his website at www.pinpointtools.com.

Also, I’d like to give a big thanks and shout out to my friend Tom Mullooly of Mullooly Asset Management for turning me on to Lon and his wonderful set of products – thanks Tom!

Listen to the podcast below!

Tags: action plan, Business Contact Manager, Contact Management, contacts, drip marketing, Outlook, Outlook tips, pinpoint marketing

SharePoint Project Tasks - simple tweaks for maximizing effectiveness

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:47:34 +0000

Increase the effiectiveness of how you’re using a SharePoint Project Tasks list by adding a few extra fields to capture some all-important information. By adding a lookup field that points to a client list, a multi-select field that allows me to associate project tasks to each other, and an appended comments field where it’s easy to track who has done what on the project and when, I’m able to greatly enhance the data I’m able to capture and use. Three simple fields, that’s it.

Now, imagine what you could do if you gave it some thought to determine just what other information your company wants to capture in SharePoint Project Tasks. I’m sure it won’t take you long to realize the potential.

Happy SharePointing!

Andrea

Tags: project management, Project tasks, sharepoint

Get IRS 2008 tax calendar for Small Businesses into your Outlook

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:33:52 +0000

This is one of those unplanned and unscheduled video tips, and it was prompted by a simple email I received less than an hour ago. I immediately thought it would be a great example of how to utilize the new internet calendar functionality of Outlook 2007. It’s just another way to show you how Outlook 2007 will help you to be more productive…plus it has the added bonus of taking you just a few minutes to do. In my book, that’s always a plus.

Check out the video to see this shining example of the internet calendar (.ics) feature in Outlook 2007.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Enjoy your day!

Tags: calendar, Internet Calendar, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips

Keep client emails together - both incoming and your replies/outgoing

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:19:31 +0000

This one might sound a bit strange to some people, but I’ve been asked if this is possible by a few. So, since it can actually be done easily in Outlook, I figured I would put this in as a tip….just in case the situation strikes home to others out there in internet-land.

If this sounds like you, pay attention, I think you may like this –

You organize your incoming email by putting them into email folders that you’ve created, either by customer name or company name (John Smith, or ABC Company). You do this either by using drag and drop, or you have created some rules to automatically do this. Being the super-organizer that you are, you periodically go to your sent items and move the ones you have for John Smith, for example, to your John Smith folder, and thereby keeping the incoming emails and your replies to those emails in one folder, the John Smith folder.

If you ever thought to yourself “I really wish Outlook would do this for me”, then you’re in luck. There are actually two ways to accomplish this. One is specifically for replies that you’re making on an incoming email, and the other will handle this for emails that you initiate AND emails that you’re replying to. The first one is what this video covers and is a one checkbox, one time solution.

After I created the video I realized this can also be accomplished via rules, but you have to set up a rule for each of your email folders you have created. So I’m going to tell you how to do the second option here in this post. Create a new rule, but instead of starting with “Check messages when they arrive”, you’ll use “Check messages after sending”. You’ll check “Send to people or distribution list” (and you can put in all their email addresses here), then on the next screen you select the special email folder for that client or person. The end result is that when you send an email to that person a copy goes to the Sent Items folder AND the special email folder. When you go to clean out your sent items folder you don’t have to worry about sifting through to make sure you don’t delete those you’ve sent to important clients because a copy of them are already put “away” for you.

It’s simple really. Just one of those features you don’t think about.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Enjoy your day!

Tags: client email, contacts, email, organize email, Outlook, Outlook tips

Create a Customer Dashboard in SharePoint

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:54:56 +0000

Dashboards. This term has been around for a long time now. In a nutshell, it describes displaying various related information on a single page, making it easy to see the big picture. SharePoint provides a way to create dashboards on whatever you want by utilizing Web Part Pages, Web Parts, and Web Part Connections. Fancy terms for targeted filtering on a page.

The video shows you how to use this feature to create a customer dashboard, but you can create dashboards for so many different things, like a project management dashboard, an employee dashboard, a client orders dashboard …. the list goes on and on. The best part about it is that it is SO easy to do in SharePoint.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Tags: customer dashboard, sharepoint, sharepoint dashboard

Using Notes in Outlook…Really

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:12:23 +0000

There are always those features in a program that rarely get used. I would have to say that Notes in Outlook is one of those features. As someone who uses Outlook for business, you’ll see how even Notes can help you get and stay organized.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Tags: organize notes, Outlook, Outlook Notes, Outlook tips

Recording interviews using Skype - yes, it can be done successfully

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:44:47 +0000

Recording interviews using Skype - yes, it can be done successfully

For those of you that assist your clients with audio services, such as helping them record and edit interviews, I found this blog posting on how to produce broadcast-quality interviews using Skype. It’s 22 minutes, a bit technical in some spots, but they explain it in easy to understand terminology. I really like how they show you the difference between the interview done via a phone conference and the interview using this method in Skype. Phenomenal results!

http://www.blogarithms.com/index.php/archives/2007/12/23/skype-for-interviews/

It’s really a great video tutorial. I’m looking forward to trying this out.

Enjoy your day!

Andrea Kalli

Outlook/Exchange and SharePoint Training and Support

Podcast and Audio Production and Support

Administrative Office Support

Visit my Website, Blog, and Podcast sites for How-To videos and more

Check out my E-Learning Center for on-demand Outlook and SharePoint training

IM: Skype, Yahoo, Gizmo: andrea_kalli

owner: www.smallbusinesspodcastdirectory.com

Tags: Outlook, recording calls in skype, recording interviews in skype, sharepoint, Skype, skype recordings

SharePoint Services 3.0 User Training – over 10 hours of narrated video tutorials

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:47:18 +0000

Happy Holidays to everyone!

This is a great time to announce the launch of my new E-Learning Center. There you will find on-demand training courses for Outlook and SharePoint Services. I’ll be adding new courses on a regular basis. Go to www.virtualassist.net/elearning

Right now, here’s what is available:

SharePoint Services 3.0 User Training – online version $24.95 – over 10 hours of narrated video tutorials
SharePoint Services 3.0 User Training – download version $99.95 – over 10 hours of narrated video tutorials
Outlook 2007 – What’s New – online version $9.95
Outlook 2007 – What’s New – download version $17.95
Outlook 2007 and SharePoint Services 3.0 Integration – download version $12.95

We also have an affiliate program for those that wish to earn a little extra money referring clients to our site. You’ll earn 30% on anything they buy. Create your own new revenue stream!

Enjoy your day!

Andrea Kalli

akalli@virtualassist.net

Outlook/Exchange and SharePoint Training and Support

Podcast and Audio Production and Support

Administrative Office Support

Check out my E-Learning Center for on-demand Outlook and SharePoint training

IM: Skype, Yahoo, Gizmo: andrea_kalli

owner: www.smallbusinesspodcastdirectory.com

Tags: Outlook, sharepoint, sharepoint training, sharepoint tutorial, sharepoint videos

Assign Tasks to others using Outlook

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:17:10 +0000

Sometimes the old saying “It is better to give than it is to receive” may not always be the case when assigning work to other people. I guess it depends on what side you’re on: the one giving work, or the one receiving work. However, it is a common and necessary part of business. Someone gets to be in charge of making sure a project gets done and has to assign things to others in order to accomplish that.

Whether you’re in an Exchange Server environment or not, assigning Tasks through Outlook can easily be accomplished. The non-Exchange environment doesn’t have all the bells and whistles when doling out task assignments, but it’s still a very doable process.

Watch the video to see how this works.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Join me for the launch of my new E-Learning Center.

There you’ll find training packages for Microsoft Outlook 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 in two video training delivery formats:

1) Online access

2) Download

For example: My video tutorials, “Outlook 2007 What’s New” (22 videos - approximately 2 hours of full tutorials) are $9.95 online, and $17.95 download.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Provided by Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC. Productivity training, support, and customization for Microsoft Outlook and SharePoint users. Now offering Podcast Production and Support services for the busy podcaster.*

Come visit our website at www.virtualassist.net and feel free to contact me at akalli@virtualassist.net.
**************
One-on-one training with me via akalli@virtualassist.net
**************
View my business blog at http://www.virtualassist.net/blog

Thank you and have a great day!
Andrea Kalli

Tags: Assign tasks, Delegate tasks, Outlook, Outlook tips, sharepoint, tasks

Having fun with Date fields in Outlook

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:27:44 +0000

Sometimes, it’s the simple things that make me smile. For example, Outlook date fields are intelligent enough to take text that you type in and convert it to the appropriate date. Snap! Just like that.

Check out the video to see how this is done.

Caution: Spending time figuring out all the different ways you can enter dates into Outlook date fields can be a time-stealer and productivity zapper! But have fun anyway

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Tags: date fields, dates, Outlook, Outlook date fields

Buy One Get One holiday offer on Outlook Add-ins

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:03:58 +0000

My favorite company for Outlook Add-ins, Sperry Software, is offering a BOGO (Buy One Get One) holiday special until December 31, 2007.

Now is a great time to add some bling to your Outlook!

http://www.sperrysoftware.com/Outlook/default.asp

The list of add-ins they create is below:

Add Email Address

Always BCC

Appointments By Email

Attachment Forget-Me-Not

Attachment Save

Auto Print

Business Bundle

Contacts Sort Order

Distribution List Manager

Duplicate Appointments Eliminator

Duplicate Contacts Eliminator

Duplicate Email Eliminator

Duplicate Email Eliminator Across Folders

Duplicate Journals Eliminator

Duplicate Notes Eliminator

Duplicate Posts Eliminator

Duplicate Tasks Eliminator

Eliminator Bundle

Email Reminders

File Fetch

Follow Up Reminder

Global Search And Replace

Hide Fax Numbers

Insert Date/Time

Journal All Contacts

Mobile Email Redirect

Power User Bundle

Print On Demand

Quick Text Hotkeys

Random Quotes Insert

Reply To All Monitor

Safeguard Send

Schedule Recurring Email

Secure Email Forward

Send Individually

Sent Items Organizer

Time Date Signature

Vcard Converter

Watch Folders

Enjoy your day!

Andrea Kalli
Outlook/Exchange and SharePoint Training and Support
Podcast and Audio Production and Support
Administrative Office Support
Visit my Website, Blog, and Podcast sites for How-To videos and more
IM: Skype, Yahoo, Gizmo: andrea_kalli
owner: www.smallbusinesspodcastdirectory.com

Tags: Outlook, sharepoint

Outlook Email Autocomplete - What it’s all about

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:29:13 +0000

Ever wonder sometimes about that dropdown field when you’re typing in an email address in a new email? It’s no mystery, but it can be the cause of some confusion. I’ve seen it first hand.

Here’s a little video that gives you the lowdown on the Outlook Autocomplete feature…how to work with it, what you can and cannot do with it.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Tags: autocomplete, contacts, Email Autocomplete, Outlook, outlook email contacts, Outlook tips

Outlook Contacts and Journaling - a sweet team

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:19:05 +0000

OK, picture this…you like to keep track of correspondence, projects, issues, etc. regarding your contacts. You want an easy and simple way to document these things. You don’t want to buy new software, and you certainly don’t want to have to stop and take the time to learn it. After all, it’s not rocket science.

Enter, Outlook Journaling.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

For the sake of simplicity, Outlook Contacts and Outlook Journaling provides a VERY easy and flexible way to document whatever you want. It’s a great way to utilize what you’ve already got on your desktop.

It really doesn’t get any easier than this.

To see how this can be done, check out the video.

Tags: Contact history, Contact Management, CRM, journal, Outlook, outlook contacts, Outlook tips, track contact history

Outlook 2007 and Exchange 2003 - Poll your co-workers with Voting Buttons

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:34:58 +0000

Have you ever wanted to send out a survey to your co-workers to gather information? The voting buttons feature in Outlook can do just that, when used with an Exchange Server. This feature is also in earlier versions of Outlook as well.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

An additional bonus is that you don’t have to use typical Yes, No, Maybe buttons. You can create custom buttons as well. Imagine you’re in charge of your company picnic and you need to take orders for the food that the company will be providing. You would create buttons such as Beef, Chicken, Veggie and send them in an email to poll your co-workers. They reply with a click of a button and you have a tracking tab to tally the votes and place the food order. What could normally be a cumbersome and time-consuming chore is made quite simple by using voting buttons. If you’re the one tasked with this job, you’re now a whole lot more productive. Thanks Outlook!

Check out the video to see how it’s done!

Tags: email poll, email voting, exchange, Exchange server, Outlook, Outlook tips, voting

Online and Offline document sharing using Outlook 2007 and SharePoint Services 3.0

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:36:03 +0000

Looking to find more about how to work with Outlook and SharePoint? Here’s a great article (with screenshots) about how these two provide online and offline functionality for sharing documents.

Check out this blog post from the link below:

http://blogs.msdn.com/outlook/archive/2007/09/28/sharepoint-outlook-the-perfect-link.aspx

Great information!

Andrea Kalli

Tags: offline sharepoint, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips, share documents, sharepoint

Selling Digital Products using PayPal and Aweber

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:43:04 +0000

Do you have a business PayPal account? What about an Aweber account?

Many companies do.

If you have digital products to sell, did you know you can combine features in PayPal and in Aweber to provide an automated delivery system for purchases? No? Well you can.

The Aweber site offers a How-To article on this very topic at http://www.aweber.com/blog/articles-tips/paypal-autoresponder-and-follow-up-integration.htm

What I like about this system is that it allows businesses to start selling their products without requiring the extra monthly expense of the all-purpose, all-inclusive shopping cart systems available. If, as a company, you’ve already got PayPal and Aweber then you don’t need anything else. Of course it’s not the absolute most secure system, but it’ll do for many a business.

PayPal allows you to create Buy Now buttons for your website that you’ll tie into the unique Aweber email address to a list. That action automatically adds the buyer to the appropriate Aweber list. Aweber sends out a confirmation email to them that they’ll need to respond to before it sends out the email with the product link and other information.

The beautiful thing is, it’s automatic once you set it up. People buy your products from your website and you don’t have to do anything manual. Well, you’ll need to log into your PayPal account and collect your money.

You’re going to need to password protect the downloadable files. I zip my files with WinZip Pro and use the built-in encryption feature. When you set up the Aweber email you’ll include a link to the download, the password to open it, and maybe some simple instructions for those that don’t know what to do with a zipped file.

Hey, and don’t forget to use this opportunity to up-sell them on your other products or services. You can include this information in the automated emails right along with the download links to what they’ve just purchased.

What can you use this for?

EBook sales and delivery
Educational course delivery, text and/or audio – delivered over several automated emails
Audio products that you sell – original music and/or spoken word
Most anything else that can be in a digital format.

What are the limitations? Well, there’s the simple fact that you can only have 8 email addresses in your PayPal account. You’ll use a unique email address from your Aweber list per product. That limits you right there.

It’s basic, but easy…and that’s a good start.

Andrea

Tags: aweber, digital products, paypal, sell digital

Outlook 2007 Calendar and Google Calendar integration

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:08:29 +0000

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

Finally! A great new Outlook 2007 feature is its ability to incorporate integration with Internet Calendars. Internet Calendars are calendars that are shared through the Internet. These calendars are based upon a global Internet standard that allows calendar information to be exchanged between people regardless of the application that is used to create or view the information. This particular video focuses on how Outlook 2007 now works with Google Calendars. A really great feature for someone that needs to update another person’s Outlook calendar and have been looking for a simple solution that is free. The really great thing is that Outlook periodically checks the Google Calendar for updates, and if any are found, they are downloaded to the calendar copy in Outlook. Couple this feature with the side-by-side calendar view and the new calendar overlay view, and you’ve got some slick functionality. More to come on how to utilize Internet Calendars with Outlook and other great new calendar functionality.

Tags: Google Calendar, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips

Expanding Customer Appreciation using SendOutCards.com

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:52:20 +0000

For this episode we have a special guest interview with Karen Reddick of www.VandEServices.com and www.theredpeneditor.com, sharing with us the importance of keeping the personalized touch in your customer service, especially for customer appreciation.

She shares with us information about SendOutCards, a web-based card creation application that is the perfect combination between technology automation and the old-fashioned tradition of mailing out cards to your clients. With the holidays fast approaching, this is great time to take a close look at something like this.

To find out more, listen to the audio included with this post.

Tags: Contact Management, customer appreciation, Outlook, send out cards, sendoutcards

Color Coding Outlook 2007 Calendar items for Business

akalli@virtualassist.net (Andrea Kalli) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:10:34 +0000

Most of us are about keeping things simple. Especially business people. So many things to remember, so many things to do, so many steps to take.

*Video available in both formats: m4v (for small portable media players) and wmv (for larger desktop viewing)

If you work with a product or software application long enough, you figure out ways to make it work for you and the ways that you like to do things. Take billable time, for example. Specifically, keeping track of your billable time with clients, either for meetings or for working on their projects.

I’ve simplified this process by utilizing color coding for calendar items. Combined with the To Do Bar in Outlook 2007, I’m easily able to see what’s coming up on my calendar that is of a billable nature…something that’s always very important to a business owner.

For me, this is a process that I’ve integrated into my business by combining my Outlook calendar, Business Contact Manager 2007, and Microsoft Office Accounting. I track my billable time on my calendar, link it to customer record in Business Contact Manager, and create the invoice item directly from the calendar item. See what I mean? Simple and easy.

Also, as a bonus, you can assign multiple color categories to any item. What this means is that you can have something color coded as a billable item AND for a particular project. Again, the benefit of using colors for calendar items is the ability to easily see what is coming up on your calendar by using the To Do Bar on the right.

Now, take this same concept and apply it to other things on your calendar that could be color coded for easy visual identification on the To Do Bar. Maybe billable items are not something you track. Perhaps you’re more project focused. You’ll benefit from color coding items on your calendar based on the project you’re working on. Using these simple features in Outlook 2007 can really help you identify the nature of what’s coming up on your calendar.

Tags: appointments, calendar, color-coding, color-coding calendar, meetings, Outlook, Outlook 2007, Outlook tips

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