What software programs will allow you to be compatible with the majority of potential clients? What are the most popular programs? Consider this when making a purchase.

With both PC and Mac computers, along with all the different software programs, chances are you will not always have the same or compatible software as is being used by your clients. One of the wonderful things about the Adobe Acrobat program is that it eliminates this problem. It is truly a universal program that anyone can open!

We’ll take a look at how this product can help bridge the gap between all the software programs. Virtual and universal go hand in hand.

What is the difference between Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat Reader?

Adobe Acrobat is the program that allows you to create PDF files (portable document format) from other documents. Both the PDF Writer and Distiller utilities are installed. PDF Writer is a printer driver that converts files directly to PDF from another software application. Distiller is a tool that converts PostScript files to PDF and provides a higher quality output however PDF Writer is faster and usually what is used.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is the free software that allows you to open and view PDF files but not create them.

Should I consider buying the Adobe Acrobat product?

This software is currently $249.00 US. While it is not cheap it is definitely worth the investment and an important tool in a VA’s toolbox. Not only will you use it to send information on your business to people but your clients as well may need you to use PDF files. At some point I recommend you budget for this purchase, it is well worth it!

In the meantime if you cannot afford to purchase the software you can subscribe to their Adobe PDF Online Service, which offers unlimited creations at $9.99/month US or $99.99/year.

Can I change information in a PDF document?

If the document is created with PDF Writer then you can use the TouchUp Text tool to make small or minor changes. You may run into problems if you do not have the font that was used however you can select a different one to use if required.

You can also merge two PDF pages into one. See the question below for more details.

Can I copy and paste information from a PDF document?

Yes you can by simply using the Text Select tool and highlighting the text you wish to copy or using the “Select All” option under “Edit” on the navigation bar. You can then paste the information into another software application.

While you cannot copy and paste text into a PDF document you can copy and paste objects, which may in fact be text. Using the TouchUp Object tool you can select pieces of text as objects and copy and paste them into another PDF document keeping in mind that they may paste over information in the original document but can be moved or the order arranged. This can be tricky and time consuming work so ideally if you have the information in something other than a PDF file all the better.

What are some other useful tools available?

Two of the features, I have found very useful, are the Highlight Text tool and the Notes tool. These are both especially helpful if you are editing a PDF document. You can both highlight the text and add a note indicating what needs to be changed or what you recommend should be changed. The person with the original document can then change it according to the highlighted text and the notes provided.

About the Author
Mary-Lou Ashon successfully launched her Virtual Assistant company in 1997 and holds expertise in organizing information, creation and implementation of administrative procedures and marketing. She has proven that dedication, communication, loyalty and a flare for marketing are keys to developing successful client relationships. Mary-Lou has a keen desire to promote awareness of VAs as a career option both internationally and at home in Canada and has developed a cost effective, convenient and high quality training program which you can locate at http://vatp.ca/.

Over the past few years I have tried a number of RSS feed readers. One of my absolute favorites is still Feed Demon but I have a hard time “remembering” to actually open it and check for new feeds. From there I moved to one that populated my Outlook with the latest feeds, but there is something about reading incessant emails 24/7 that turned me off. Then on the recommendation of a friend, I decided to give the Google Reader a go…unfortunately it was a no go. It seemed bulky, not hard to use or confusing, but overly…blah. Needless to say I continued with Feed Demon while searching for something better that would meet my needs.

A few days ago I found Wizz RSS, an add-on for Firefox, and I must say that I am ubber impressed. My feeds can now appear on the left hand side of my browser or I can click them off if I need total concentration. The left hand side of my screen reminds of the open bookmarks window. The add-on is user friendly, clean and very reliable. If you’re in the market for a new reader, definitely remember Wizz RSS.

About this time last year, a client asked me to investigate setting up a blog for her business. She’d read about it in a business marketing newsletter and thought it might be worth looking into.

On first look I wasn’t sure that this was the way to go, however, to fully understand what’s involved, I set one up for myself and learnt how to tweak the template, using www.blogger.com, registered it with blog search engines and explored blogging communities.

This didn’t happen overnight – it really took me months to get into it, but slowly I started to see what the benefits could be, if I put some time into it. I chose to write about things that had happened during the week in my own particular industry.

Today I own several blogs but only 3 are business related, the rest are personal interest blogs. All get traffic that is growing and I find that when someone visits one, they also visit the others too, and periodically leave comments when they find something that relates to them. I also get people emailing me saying “I didn’t know that…” – it’s given those who are interested, a window into my life, so to speak.

So, if you’ve been thinking about a blog for yourself, where should you start?

1. You need a topic of interest that you can contribute to on a regular basis – at least weekly. If it’s infrequent your audience will lose interest. There’s a whole community (actually several) out there who spend spare time surfing blogs – stats seem to indicate people also surf blogs whilst at their workplace. Of course, if your blog is business-related, that makes sense.

2. Next, have a look at the free blog services available to you – there are a choice of templates and their system is a simple to use, like a word-processor, so it’s easy to get started. I use both www.blogger.com and www.wordpress.com and recently installed wordpress on my own server.

3. Choose a name for your blog – if you run a business you’ll want something that relates to your business name or industry. Mind you, if have a hobby you’re passionate about, you could set one up for that too.

4. Create your account and enter your first post. It only takes 5-10 minutes to set up and you’re on your way! Easy.

5. Take time to explore the system, make sure you switch on the search engine services so it gets listed quickly with Google and other search engines. The listings seem to show up much quicker than regular websites. Seek out other blog search engines to list with.

6. Make notes in your diary to post again on a regular basis, so it becomes a habit.

7. Place a link on your blog back to your business website and vice versa.

8. Spend time surfing other blogs (in Wordpress and Blogger you just have to click on ‘next blog’ in the navigation bar at the top right hand corner) and learn from others.

9. There was mention of an a-list being developed of the top Australian blogs and there is a very noticeable lack of women bloggers on that list – so far. See the article at http://duncanriley.com/2006/03/20/the-a-list-of-australian-bloggers.

Happy blogging!

About the Author
Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, MVA, ASO is the founder of “A Clayton’s Secretary”, a Virtual Assistant Network with members in many countries. Dedicated to teaching others about operating business over the Internet, Kathie is a multiple award winner as both a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has over 30 years’ experience in the secretarial/administrative field. She registered her business in March 1994 and is one of the senior VAs who launched the industry globally. http://www.vadirectory.net.