The Advantages and Disadvantages of Transcribing

As a Virtual Assistant, one of the services you may want to consider offering to your clients is transcription. While it sounds easy enough (you listen to an audio tape and just type what you hear), it's much more involved than that.

There are advantages and disadvantages you should consider before making your decision to offer transcribing services.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the official definition of translcribe is "to make a written copy of" or "to make a copy of (dictated or recorded matter) in longhand or on a machine (as a typewriter)." Now before you drag out your trusty old typewriter, you will need to make sure you have a few things first. Most importantly, you will need a good computer with a high speed internet connection and both transcription and word processing software installed on it because that old typewriter just is not going to do the trick anymore. Some other equipment you will need is a quality headset, a comfortable chair in a quiet room, and if you're serious about doing transcription, a foot pedal (preferably the USB kind). Depending on the format used (DVD, mp3, cassette, micro-cassette, etc), you may need additional equipment for audio playback. Of course, to be an efficient transcriptionist, you must also have a pretty decent typing speed, good listening, spelling and grammar skills.

Here are some of the points you will want to take into consideration before you decide to offer transcription services:

Advantages:

Pricing is pretty straightforward (by the word, page or audio minute / hour)

Sharpens your listening and typing skills

Opportunity to learn about new and interesting topics

Can turn into a long-term client as transcription can easily lead to other projects (editing, proofreading, article writing or creating an ebook)

Pre-recorded audio gives you the flexibility to transcribe anytime (excellent for those who are trying to juggle a 9-5 job too)

With some additional education, you have the ability to specialize (ie medical or legal transcription) and charge a higher specialized rate

Disadvantages:

Some equipment and / or software may need to be purchased (headset, foot pedal, etc.)

You must have a decent typing speed or you are not going to make much of a living doing transcription

Sound quality, multiple speakers, accents, people talking over each other, and audience interaction can significantly slow down the transcription process causing frustration and reducing productivity

Templates provided by client may be difficult to work with

Transcription is not multi-tasking friendly; you will need to concentrate so no telephone calls or tweets

Real-time transcription requires that you and the client are available at the same time. This does not allow time for editing, or breaks

As with any task you perform for your client, you will need to ask some important questions before you get started.

You should be ready with a checklist of some kind, because finding out certain information ahead of time will save you time and aggravation. Some questions you should ask your client before transcribing:

What will the client really do with the transcription (ie create an article or ebook)?

What form is the audio in (DVD, mp3, cassette, micro-cassette, etc)?

How will you receive the audio (mail, email, etc)?

Does the client want a hard copy or just the electronic file?

What form do they want the final product in (Word, PDF, etc)?

Do they want verbatim or do they want umms and other unfinished thoughts edited out?

How many speakers are there?

Do any of the speakers have accents?

Are they just looking to have the words put on the paper or are they looking for something that is proofread, edited, and in the final draft stage?

Does the audio include any confidential information?

o Will the client require a Non-disclosure Agreement in addition to the Virtual Assistance Agreement?
o If it is medical transcription, will there be HIPPA compliance issues involved?

If you do decide to venture into the realm of transcription, make sure you have all the necessary tools in place to make your journey a positive experience. Take your time when creating your proposals and make sure you understand all the details of each transcription project. If you are not sure of the terms of the project, contact the client for clarification.

You do not want to get in over your head and disappoint your client and yourself.

Consider taking on a couple small "trial" project before officially offering transcription services on your website.

Volunteer to transcribe a meeting or two for a church or civic group to gain some experience. You might even suggest a trade and get a client testimonial for your business! Either way it is an excellent opportunity to try out transcription, and see if it is worth adding to your business.

If you have the typing, spelling, and grammar skills that transcribing requires and you are willing to invest in some equipment to get started, then transcribing may be for you. Transcribing can be frustrating and tedious at times, but it can also be a rewarding, interesting, and flexible service that you can offer to your clients. While it has advantages and disadvantages, always keep in mind transcribing is a perfect springboard to additional services you may want to market to your clients to keep your business flourishing.

The Best Way of Communication

Communication is very important in our daily life. In our modern life most of us use cell phone to communicate with each other. In my opinion this is not the best way to improve your relationship with others. You did not talk to them face to face, so you can not totally get the response immediately. You can just get the information from their voice only. In your family, communication is also the key point to enhance your love to your parents. Most of the time, some parents can not understand what you are thinking about. So the misunderstanding is unavoidable between you and them. Please do not forget to communicate with them face to face. Parents are parents, they always love you and want you to be better. If you only talk to them via cell phone, maybe there is one kind of barrier between you and them.

In your daily work, communication is the most important ability you have to own. You have to cooperate with your colleague. But how to cooperate with each other smoothly, communication is the key point. Only when you can communicate with them well, you can do a better job. You talk gently with them face to face, and they can easily understand your ideas. All in all, communication is very important in our daily life and the best way of communication is not via cell phone but talking to your friends face to face. Hope all of you can have a good day.

This Loan Has More Advantages Than Disadvantages

Fixed Mortgages are changing quickly and for the better. Today, there are more choices for the term, rate and lender than ever before. Experts say that it is very unlike that you will be stuck in a deal that is not flexible without a way to lower payment if rates are against you. This is great news for someone trying to borrow a significant amount of amount in today's uncertain economy.

Many first-time homebuyers choose a fixed mortgage because it promises to provide more stability. The mortgage payment each month usually is the same over the whole term of the loan, no matter how long the term is. This allows for predictability in the cost of housing every month. With this type of loan, monthly payment and interest do not ever change.

There are many different packages of fixed mortgages and the most common package is the 30-year mortgage. When you accept a 15 or 20-year fixed mortgage plan, the loan will be paid off faster. With these terms, you can receive a lower rate and be able to build equity in the home faster because you will be paying more towards the principal every month. However, with a 30 year, the monthly payment would most likely be a bit higher. An even newer option today is the 40 or 50- year mortgage. These offer even lower payments each month but do have a higher rate. More of your payment is applied towards the interest and not the principal.

The largest advantage of these types of mortgages is the payment is the same every month and does not change. This can be a very good option when buying a home if you are planning to stay in it for a long time. You will be secure in knowing what you monthly payment will be because the rate will not be changing. This type of mortgage is different than an ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) in that an ARM that has a rate that can change at set intervals. A fixed mortgage can be set and kept before rates rise.

Benefits:

1. Protection from inflammation. Your mortgage or payment will not be affected if interest rates begin to increase. This is helpful when owning a home for a long time.

2. Low risk. There is less financial risk when the buyer knows what their monthly payment is going to be, regardless of any market increases in rates.

3. Long-term planning. You will always be able to plan around your mortgage payment and this will be helpful for expenses as well as long-term goals.

4. Stability. Provides stability over a set period of time.

5. Many programs available with 15, 20, 30, 40, 50-year mortgage options.

6. No surprises and very easy to understand.

Disadvantages:

1. The interest rate is usually a little higher.

2. Equity is built at a slower pace because the payment made the first few years goes to the interest and not the principal.

3. The overall balance is larger due to the long amortization term

Is Free Wireless Access Safe?

This is frighteningly easy to do, by setting up a fake access point hackers can easily trap your user names and passwords without your knowledge. These hackers can also install a virus that will enable them to reconnect even when you are not on the free wireless anymore, even scarier.

What should you do? Here are some helpful tips on protecting yourself while on public wifi:

· Look for signs indicating the name of the free Wifi also known as the SSID and be sure to log onto that network, check the spelling verbatim, hackers will use a fake name that is similar.

· On Windows Vista and 7 be sure to choose "Public" as your network type this shuts down your file sharing and limits network access. On Windows XP be sure to turn off "file sharing".

· Windows XP will logon automatically so if you're not using the Internet turn off your wireless adapter, this will also save your battery life.

· Try to avoid going to Websites that require passwords like email and banking.

The best way to protect yourself is to create a secure link between your laptop and another computer, the other computer can be your home PC or any trusted server on the Internet which can be free or a pay service.

Using your home PC would be the safest and it's free but it requires a little more work. At home you will install a Secure Shell Server, this will accept a secure connection from your laptop a good "free for personal use" one is called WinSSHD, just download and install it and be sure to read the instructions. On your laptop you will install the connection software called Tunnelier this will create a secure connection between the two computers. If you have a router at home like most people do you will have to open port 22 and forward it to the PC that has WinSSHD running and you will need your home IP address so that you can tell Tunnelier where to connect to.

If you do not want to use your home PC or do not have one you can sign up for a free Secure Shell Server (SSH) access that offers tunneling or a pay SSH which is safer and more reliable. Once you find a SSH service you can use Tunnelier to connect to it which will create a secure connection also.

Now all you have to do is configure your browser to go through the secure connection and you are finished. All your Internet traffic in your browser is encrypted and the hackers will not be able to see anything you are doing. To keep this article short I skipped over the configuration details of WinSSHD, Tunnelier, Browser, and the router, all these are easily found on Google.

The Best Places to Hand Out Promotional Conference Folders

The tough competition in the market place has made it imperative for business organizations, big or small, and across all sectors to keep their name in front of the clients. With thousands of companies and millions of product in the market place, it has become important to get noticed by the customers and that too too frequently. Promotional products like promotional conference folders help business organizations to keep their name afresh in the minds of customers. These folders allow business organizations to target clients with reinforcements regarding its products and services. The use of promotional products to advertise for products and promote brands has gained so much prominence over the time that the market for such gifts has turned out to be huge. You can find one company or other is coming up with attractive promotional gifts to attract prospective and existing clients to its fold.

Promotional exhibition folders allow business organizations to build and maintain long-term association with existing clients. It ensures client's brand loyalty which is very important for a successful company. Business organizations are also using promotional folders to communicate with the clients and to enhance their image. Our studies suggest that business organizations which use promotional items like folders have been successful in building a positive image and a strong client support. Clients come back again and again to reputed business organizations and add immensely to its growth by giving referrals of their friends and acquaintances.

They are very practical products as these can be used to carry essentials by clients. Whenever a client uses them to carry his wishes, the brand name gets noticed by many onlookers around which provides more exposure and visibility to the products and services. Business organizations can also print its logo, name and brand's message on them. They have proven to promote more effectively.

The market place in the UK is flooded with promotional conference folders of all types and designs. You can find promotional conference folders made up of different materials and in many shapes. These folders are also available in various colors and in wider price. Online, you can shop for some of the best and attractive ones. They have in store more than hundred different varieties of conference folders which can be used as promotional gifts for your clients. Business organizations can also make use of their printing services to imprint content on them. They offer best quality products at discount prices. To know in detail about their broad range of promotional gifts and promotional products, please visit their online shops.

How to Choose A Data Recovery Lab That Will not Let You Down

When choosing a data recovery company to recover your valuable data it is very important that you make the right choice. They need to have a fully focused team of professionals 100% committed to your data requirements and it should certainly not be something they do as a background activity, so do not be afraid to ask some very pointed questions.

A true data recovery lab will be able to successfully recover data from Servers, Laptop's, Desktop's, CD / DVD's and all other types of storage media, not simply just a failed hard drive.

They will have both the leading technology and skilled technicians to identify and solve the most challenging recovery situations presented to them, and, as leaders in data solutions that should be able to offer a full gamut of data recovery services including full server and raid data recovery capacities.

A missing link in data recovery though in many businesses and one that is over looked far too often even by large corporations is data back up.

Why is data back up so Data Backup important for your company and your home PC?

Data back is essential to protect the data held on your servers, laptops, home PC's and flash media. This type of precaution will firstly give you peace of mind your data is safe and most importantly you will have the ability to restore you data should your media fail.

Although a professional data recovery service will prove very successful with the up to date technology, a small percentage or hard disk drives will always be unrecoverable.

Even if the data can be recovered using data recovery services it will be very expensive and you will be inconvenienced waiting for your data to be recovered.

You may think hard disks are very reliable and you have never had any problems in the past and that is true but most devices are sooner to failure at some stage in there working lives.

Equally you can lose your data in many ways such as accidental deletion or malicious damage or virus. Having a continuity plan with a quick response time to get you back on track is paramount in any business.

If your data recovery company is a full service provider then chances are that they will be using the latest technology and can provide you with a fully automated and encrypted service to make life that bit easier and problem free each day.

If you forget your laptop / memory stick you can use your backup facility to access documents from another location and download your data with a push of the button saving you time and money.

Lab facilities

Most professional data recovery will have proper labs facilities not just a back office with a bench. The data recovery lab is often the heart and sole of the operation.

Keeping up to date with technologies and investing in research and development is essential to maintain a high level of performance at all times.

Lab facility should only be open to trained staff only and be the most secure area of ​​the building. The entire lab should be ESD safe (Electrostatic Discharge) and operate a certified ISO class 3 cleanroom ensuring the highest standard of cleanliness.

You will find many data recovery companies are still operating within a class 100 facility that is in reality relatively outdated by today's stringent standards.

The sole purpose for these cleared areas is to prevent contamination of the interior of your hard disk drive while internal component repair or replacement is being undertaken, and older facilities can still expose your drives to contamination risks that could leave it unrecoverable where they could remain uncontaminated in a cleaner environment.

RAID recovery

Businesses will almost unduently require raid level data recovery or restoration at some point so you need to make sure that your data recovery provider has skilled RAID recovery engineers are specialists in the data recovery industry, and are familiar working with multiple hard disk drives from all types of RAID, NAS, Servers and X-Serve / RAID systems.

This level of service requires the most skilled recovery engineers to diagnose the fault (s) with great knowledge of file systems, hardware and software.

The type of fault recovery provided should also include corruption, damaged RAID configuration, failed controller, software damage, deletion, volumes unable to mount, failed rebuild, unable to boot server and hard disk drive failure.

A top class provider will understand that time is money for most companies, and that is why they will also have the most up to date high speed cloning tools and capacity to recover and restore your valuable data promptly.

A Real Estate Investment Boom

An upcoming boom in real estate may well be the Baby Boom. If you either currently have, or desire to be involved with, properties that cater to the senior's market, there is huge profit potential if you approach the opportunity professionally. After all is said and done, you can boil it down to a very few identifiable elements that make a property tremendously senior-friendly. They develop a high demand and thus result in a unique potential for profitability. So, if seniors are your market, here are some important things to remember.

1. Make sure all improvement or upgrades are designed to make their lives easier. If you give someone more, they will gladly pay more. And if they pay more, your property should be more profitable than either a sales or rental position
2. Lever type handles on doors make opening easier than having to grasp and turn round knobs.
3. Hand rails that are 1.5 inch diameters are easier to hold on to and allow a hand to wrap it for greater stability.
4. Raised electrical plugs allow guests to plug in items without the need to bend over so far that they are uncomfortable or lose their balance.
5. Grab bars in bathrooms provide safety and stability in areas that are inherently difficult and dangerous for people as they get older.
6. Wide doors allow for greater ease of entry and the possibility of wheel chair accessibility.
7. The removal of entry barriers such as step over shower door thresholds will prevent trip hazards and possible falls.
8. Increased lighting provide for better visual appeal and a more functional use for those who have reduced acuity.

All of these items will improve the marketability and function of your product. Be sure to promote these nuances and you will achieve increased demand that will in turn result in higher revenues. Higher revenues of course will result in higher profits. The senior's market is a huge and exploding opportunity for those who will approach it wisely and meet the needs of the aging baby boom public. The opportunity is obvious; the way to seize it is simple. Meet their needs. These ideas will help you do just that.