Hooray for the Virtual Assistant Forums!
The Virtual Assistant Forums is about to celebrate three years online. There’s a Big Bash planned for April, with prizes and all the trimmings.
In the grand scheme of things, maybe three years doesn’t seem very long. But in the history of Web 2.0, it’s a long stretch indeed. How many wannabees have launched and withered in that time? How far has the general public perception of the internet come?
The interactive web hasn’t been around long enough for anyone to have gray hairs. No social media channel can be called mature, at this point. We just don’t have enough history to make that designation yet! So, in this context, to thrive for three years is noteworthy.
For regular participants, the Forums are a depthless mine of information and support. The network’s archives are rich repositories, with the info available at the click of a search box. The readiness of members to offer advice, technical support, sympathy, and every sort of counsel is unparalleled.
Way back in ’07, I kindled my VA business, and signed up with several forums. Only one captivated me, though. The VAF quickly superseded the others; it has been a major professional resource ever since. If more than a day or two goes by without visiting the site, I begin to feel disconnected and out of touch.
I keep up on Twitter with many people I originally met on the Forums. But it’s best to go straight to the boards for the more meaningful interactions. The people there are incredibly smart and creative, not to mention generous.
Sometimes it’s hard to get people to understand who we are as virtual assistants, what we do, and how we offer value. In many ways, each VA has to create their own definitions, and educate their own marketplace. We’re pioneering a new kind of B2B service, and so we’re often in the position of identifying what we do. It’s challenging, and enormously exciting.
The Virtual Assistant Forums site lets us discuss all the angles of this new profession. It’s a place we can honestly ask and answer, sharing the trials and joys of our work.
In addition to providing a number of tools freely available to member VAs (did I mention that membership is also free?), the Forums invite other businesses to post Requests for Proposals on the site. There’s no charge to do this. If quality is a concern for you, why on earth would you go to O-Desk or E-Lance when you can mine a repository of gems such as this site’s members?
Happy Anniversary VAF, and congratulations on a job continuously well done!
