virtual assistance Archives - Page 9 of 17 - Denise Riches

Is a Chromebook Right For Your Business?

I asked myself this very question shortly after receiving a notification that my then-Acer laptop would no longer receive support for Windows 7 (yup, really – Windows 10 is the devil in my book!).

The idea of using a Chromebook and working from the cloud is an intriguing one, for sure. There are some pros and cons, though, so let’s look at those:

The Pros of Chromebooks

Chromebooks are fast

They boot up pretty much immediately. Being a computer that’s basically just a browser makes it super fast to load, and being cloud-based means no applications or backups to run. Speaking of applications…

They’re web-based

Consider the applications you use day in and day out, both for personal and business tasks. If the majority of your daily applications are web-based, then a Chromebook may be a perfect choice for you. All of your Chrome bookmarks and shortcuts will be there as soon as you log in.

They’re safe

As in, they are virtually un-hackable. It’s true! Check out this article. That means you won’t need a separate anti-virus, which in turn means there are no background applications eating up space and memory.

Chromebooks are lightweight

Which makes them perfect for working while travelling. While they come in different screen sizes, the most compact ones are perfect to pick and and change your location, so bring on the coffee shops and libraries!

The Cons of Chromebooks

Unfortunately, there are a few cons to having and using a Chromebook, as I’ve discovered myself:

You’ll need a cloud-ready printer

Unfortunately, they do not connect with your regular printer, so it’s necessary to purchase a cloud-ready printer. Alternately, you can save your files to Google Drive and print another time, from a computer that is connected to a printer.

They offer limited USB ports

This isn’t a huge problem if you purchase a USB hub and connect it to your Chromebook.

You can’t install applications on a Chromebook

As an example for me, personally, the FTP program I use can’t be installed on a Chromebook, but there are others I could use. There are usually alternate applications that can be used in place of your regular apps that will do the same job.

Chromebooks need upgrading, too

My first Chromebook eventually wouldn’t support multiple logins to Canva… and Canva couldn’t help. It took me a ridiculously long time to figure out that the entire login issue was due to my Chromebook being out of date. Then it started to affect other logins. Check with your manufacturer to see when your Chromebook will be due for an upgrade.

In summary, I’ve been using a Chromebook since mid-2019 and I love the flexibility it’s given me. I can access everything I need to get the job done. If you’re looking for an easy-to-use system that’s portable and fun, I recommend a Chromebook.

Looking to make your job easier? Let’s talk – book a free consultation call with me.

Productivity Tools

With so many different productivity tools to choose from these days, how do you know which one is right for you?

It’s a good idea to check out features on the website before you give them a go, and definitely check out reviews. It might also be helpful to check with colleagues to see what they use.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few, and here are some of my thoughts:

Slack

This one integrates with Toggl (a time-tracking app). It also allows you to communicate with the team as a whole, or just with one team member.

To cut down on emails and file space, Slack (and most other tools, as well) allows for messaging and file uploads so that everything your team needs is in one central location.

Asana

Much like Slack, Asana allows for direct communication directly within the app itself and allows for file uploads. By removing the email back-and-forth, team members can work together more efficiently.

What I don’t like about this particular tool is that the tabs for conversations, files and tasks are a bit all over the place. It could also be that I don’t use it often enough 🙂

Trello

Trello is one of my favourite tools. It also integrates with Toggl, and allows for tagging specific team members and file uploads. I also like the boards and cards can be shared with specific people. This tool is also customizable with colours and backgrounds.

The ability to set deadlines ensures that the whole team can see what is going on with each task, similar to the above-mentioned tools.

Todoist

This is the ultimate to-do list. Todoist integrates with your digital calendar, and sets itself up as its own calendar with your digital calendar, allowing you to toggle it off and on.

One word of caution though, if you aren’t careful, it could integrate twice into your digital calendar, and cause a bit of a headache until you sort it out. Plus, in order to actually tick tasks off the list, you need to access the web version.

By ticking those items off, you collect points which can earn you a period of premium Todoist use.

Virtual Assistant

Ha – I’m sure you saw this one coming! A virtual assistant is a great productivity tool. I save my clients time and money by taking tasks off their plates.

I help with a variety of tasks: e-newsletter setup and publishing, blog post writing and formatting, social media image creation, and social media scheduling.

Book a free consultation call with me and let’s discuss how I can save you more time in your week.

How to Build a Virtual Team Relationship

When you compare in-person work relationships and virtual work relationships, the two can be vastly different.

In a virtual work relationship, there is an even higher need for clear communication, and sometimes, some back-and-forth needs to happen before reaching the end result.

So how can we make these relationship work better for everyone? Here are a few ideas: (more…)

I’ve Been a VA for Years, I Just Didn’t Know It

I left my steady job (with benefits, vacation time and paid breaks) and walked out into the unknown with excitement (and fear) in the pit of my stomach.

As May of each year rolls around, I always look back at where I was and how far I’ve come. The funny thing is, I’ve actually been a VA for much longer, I just didn’t know it. (more…)

Planning Your Business Social Media

One major task I relieve my clients of is planning and scheduling their social media. I do this a month in advance, generally, and my clients can approve or deny anything in the plan well ahead of time.

I talk a little about this in another post, which you can find here.

But you might be wondering, “What types of content go into a general social media plan?” This is an excellent question, one that is asked often, too. In this post, I’ll answer that question. (more…)

What is ‘Google Takeout’?

Backups are essential.

If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know that I’m a huge Google fan. I mean, there’s just so much you can do with Google… it can literally organize your life! And for me, it has.

But you might worry about how secure Google might be. Let’s face it, if you’re depending on Google for storage of anything that’s important, the last thing you want is to have security issues

Did you know that if you’re using a Chromebook, it is unhackable? That’s right, read this article to learn more.

Now, we don’t all have Chromebooks, but I believe in the security that Google has to offer. In fact, I’ve backed up all my photos and important documents using the Google family of products.

Someone I know accidentally deleted her Google Drive and didn’t know about Google Takeout until afterwards (she’s still bitter). Thankfully she shared her knowledge and now I religiously, every two weeks, back up my Drive.

I touched on this in a previous post, but I wanted to discuss it a little more in-depth in a separate post

Data backups have never been more important. In fact, using the cloud to back up your data is the best option. By backing up your data to the cloud you have access to it on any device, it’s simply a matter of signing in to your account.

To use Google Takeout:

Visit Google Takeout, and log into your Google account.
Choose ‘none’ so all your products are turned off.
Toggle the blue button next to Google Drive only.
Click the down arrow and then select specific files and folders (or all, depending!)
Scroll down to the bottom and click on ‘Next’.
Select how and where you’d like the documents delivered then click ‘Create Archive’.
Google Takeout will then export all Google documents in Microsoft Word or Excel formats that you can save as a backup.

It’s a good idea to back up your data on a regular basis. I back mine up every two weeks, but it depends on how often you’re adding/removing files from your Drive.

Once I download my data, I transfer the compressed file to a USB drive, and delete any previous Takeout files.

You can use this exported file as a backup, or you could import it into another application.

Book a free consultation call with me and let’s talk.