Don’t wait any longer.

If you haven’t done so already, there is still time to register your blog for Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty. On October 15th, 2008, bloggers around the world will use their unique voice and platform to discuss, educate and bring awareness about this crippling global issue.

We are encouraged to get involved in any way we can. There are numerous was to participate including publishing a post, donating a days earnings and promoting Blog Action Day 2008. Choose one or all methods, but get involved.

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

You can read more on their website at Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty. I look forward to reading and learning from all your posts tomorrow on Blog Action Day 2008.

Blog Action Day has finally arrived and I am happy to say that Calgary is a city committed to doing their part for the environment…Are You? There are many ways in which you can participate to help create a greener Calgary. It doesn’t take a lot of time once you make the decision to do your part. It could be overwhelming to make the change and try to do everything, so start small and pick a few things that you know won’t turn your life upside down. As you get use to doing one thing, you can add something else. Here is a list of a few basic things you can do to get started with making the “green” change.

• Bottle Recycling – Visit the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation for a ton of recycling resources, a list of acceptable containers and bottle depot locations
• Stop Using Plastic Bags – Many of our local grocery stores now offer an alternative to plastic bags such as the ones below as offered at the Real Canadian Superstore and Sobey’s
• Composting in Calgary – The City of Calgary has put together an awesome brochure called Composting in Calgary about composting and how to get started. Clean Calgary Association offers composting workshops and City of Calgary subsidized compost bins for Calgarians wanting to start backyard composting.
• Leaf and Pumpkin Recycling- Fall is here and so are the leaves. Halloween is coming and that means pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. For those of you that are not set up for composting, The City of Calgary is offering a FREE Leaf and Pumpkin Recycling Program. The program runs from September 22 to November 11, 2007. Visit here for a list of drop off locations.
• Other City of Calgary Recycling Programs
  Christmas Tree Mulching Program
  Organics Recycling
  Grasscycling

Now that you know what you can do help out it’s time to hear what the City is doing to help us to make Calgary a greener city. Some of you may already now this, but back in 2001, Calgary Transit joined forces with Enmax and Vision Quest Windelectric Inc. to launch Calgary’s first green energy project called Ride The Wind Program. The goal of this program was to see that one day, Calgary’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) would be powered by 100% green power. This power would be wind-generated electricity coming from the 12 windmills located in Southern Alberta.

The electricity supply partnership between the City of Calgary and Enmax doesn’t end there. Read Green Energy to see how a lot of the City’s operations will be powered by the wind.

Not only is today Blog Action Day, Canadians are celebrating Waste Reduction Week, from October 15th – 21st.

This is the week for communities, schools and businesses to take part in a Canada wide event to educate and bring awareness to Canadians about waste minimization and conservation initiatives. Visit the Waste Reduction Weekwebsite to learn more about how to get involved. The Waste Reduction Week website also provides some great resources and ideas geared specifically to schools, businesses and municipalities and their involvement. Also check out the 2007 Events page to see who is already registered in your area to participate.

This is an extremely sensitive topic for some and I could go on forever about this, but my goal here was to provide some “basic” information and little background into the efforts Calgary is making to do their part for the environment and the people who live here. I love this city and I am proud to be a Calgarian. It is impossible for an individual or even a city to do it all, but if we work together, and give our best effort to do what we can, I believe it will make a difference.

It has been a pleasure to be a part of Blog Action Day and congratulate the organizers and bloggers that have worked endlessly to get the word out and organize this event.

THANK YOU!

I’m excited to announce that I have made the decision to take part in Blog Action Day on October 15th and I’m hoping you will join me, and the many others involved, to use our blogs to spread the word. What is Blog Action Day you ask?

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On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind – the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

Blog Action Day is about MASS participation. That means we need you! Here are 3 ways to participate:

• Post on your blog relating to the environment on Blog Action Day
• Donate your day’s earnings to an environmental charity
• Promote Blog Action Day around the web

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It is super easy to get involved. Just follow the steps below and you’ll be set up in no time. Then all you have to do is think about and brainstorm about your blog post topic for October 15th, Blog Action Day.

So get involved!

1. Register Your Blog to Participate
   This will take all of about 2 minutes to set up and then your blog will listed on the Blog Action Day “Who is participating” page.
    
2. Help Promote Blog Action Day
   Here you can choose from a number of different banners to use on your blogs.
    
3. You’re Almost Done…
    
4. As a Real Estate related blog you will want to visit r.e. Revealed and let them know that you have registered and you will be added to their list of Real Estate sites participating in Blog Action Day.

That’s it! What a great way to unite bloggers across the globe for a common and important cause that affects us all.

One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.

I logged in to check my email one more time before heading to bed and to my surprise I received an email notifying me that my blog, The PREVA Report, has been Posh’d .

For those of you who are not familiar with Posh’d they are a site who, in their words support those of you trying to break the mold and make the real estate sites on the web a better experience for everyone.

I am honored to have been chosen among the likes of RSS Pieces, Bloodhound Blog, and Real Estate Tomato who were Posh’d recipients in May as well as sellsius and Miamism in July.

Thank you Posh’d.

When I discovered that Kandra Hamric had tagged me, I was excited and immediately sat down to start composing my list of personal facts and then it hit me; what in the heck am I suppose to write? Then I received another “tag” from Laura Monroe, and then I knew the pressure was on. I am normally a fairly private person, until you get to know me, and find it difficult to divulge personal information about myself, especially in a forum like this.

Well girls, I am going to give it a try so here it goes.

1. I am a native Calgarian with three older sisters and unlike a lot of families these days we all still live in and around Calgary and are able to see each other regularly. We all have a blast when we’re together and it wouldn’t be a family get together without a lot of belly laughs.
    
2. Music was always a part of growing up in our house. All 4 of us girls were encouraged to take piano lessons through grade school as much as we may have not wanted to at the time. I am thankful now that I did and enjoy playing from time-to-time when I visit my sister at her home.My interest for music grew in Junior High School and I discovered my true passion…drums. I am a drummer, and continued to take drums lessons and play in the school band through to grade 11. After graduation and into college I puchased and built my first home in Calgary with a nice open, walk-out basement where I jammed (by myself) on my Pearl set of drums. I miss having a drum set and plan to have another set one day.
    
3. I LOVE dolphins. When I was younger I wanted to become a marine biologist, I know, you’re probably wondering how a girl from the prairies and rocky mountains establishes an interest in dolphins when there are obviously none around here. I took a seven week vacation to California on my 18th birthday and visited Sea World where we got to feed the dolphins. I immediately fell in love with their beauty, intelligence and their ability to read people. I bought every dolphin book I came across, join multiple associations and even adopted a dolphin named Dart after a trip to Florida a few years later. My dream is to swim with the dolphins in the open ocean. I’m just trying to pinpoint the place and time.
    
4. I have, what some refer to as, my Happy Place. This is our family cabin located in Christina Lake, British Columbia. I spent every summer here with my family from the time I was six weeks old until my 18th birthday when I took the trip to California. Being there the whole summer and as a young entreprenuer, I was always looking for ways to make extra money. I spent the time to obtain my swimming instructor certification and gave lessons to other kids and families that were vacationing at Christina Lake. I was in my glory. I was able to get a great tan, be in the water most of the day, visit with some great kids and make some money. I consider our cabin to be my home away from home and wish I could spend more time there.
    
5. My sign is Cancer and I think the traditional traits of a cancerian describes me pretty well.
   Emotional and loving
   Intuitive and imaginative
   Shrewd and cautious
   Protective and sympathetic
    
6. I sort of fell into the Virtual Assistance business after I had left another company that I was a co-owner of and began helping my mother with her Real Estate business. I have always had a passion for real estate and homes and enjoyed assisting my mother with whatever tasks needed to be taken care of while she was out selling and meeting clients. Then I was asked by one of my mother’s collegues to put together some feature sheets for her new listings. It occured to me that after years in the executive administration field and my passion for real estate that I just may have my next entrepreneurial challenge ahead of me. I stumbled across an article about Tawnya Sutherland of Mediamage and new right then that being a Real Estate Virtual Assistant was the perfect match me for me.

Well ladies, I think I will end it there. I have previewed my post and I apologize for the long read. Now I’m going to pass this torch and tag:

Tawnya Sutherland – Mediamage
Ines Hegedus-Garcia – Miamism
Mary McKnight – RSS Pieces
Sara MacLennan – Edmonton Real Estate Blog
Jon Angevine – The Calgary Real Estate Group Blog

Thanks to Jennifer Gniadecki of Atypical VA who lead me to the quiz, How Addicted to Blogging Are You?, I am now convinced that I am a blogging addict. I scored much higher than I thought I would have, but I was glad to have completed this quiz as I learned a number of things about myself.

Some of the questions really got me thinking about how much time I actually spend blogging in a day and it helped me to map out a better schedule for myself. I hadn’t really thought about how much time I actually spend reading, posting and commenting in the blogosphere and now with this new schedule I have times set aside just for blogging. This way I get to continue blogging, because I love it, and still get my work done without feeling like I have fallen behind.

82%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Calgary Singles from Mingle²

Not only was this quiz fun, I learned a lot about my blogging practices. Thanks Jen!

My name is Jennifer and I am a Blogging addict.

This morning I logged into my blog account to check my blog stats, as I do from time to time, and I noticed one of the Last Referers was blogsearch.google.com.  All I have to say is; where have I been? I wasn’t aware that this existed. For the few of you that may not know about this Google search platform, you can find more information on their About Google Blog Search page.

I’d love to hear what you all think about Google’s Blog Search.

PHOTO BY Tiger Pixel

Thank you Sharon for stopping by The PREVA Report. I know my readers will find your answers to these questions very useful and informative; as I did. 

1. Can you explain the concept behind the OIVAC and what your goals are for the convention?

The OIVAC was created to provide an informative yet informal venue where the entire international VA community, no matter where located, could participate in education, training and networking – without concern for costs, travel, leaving family or business. And since we are a virtual community, I thought – why not hold a virtual convention, using technologies we apply in our businesses and for our clients on a daily basis. Our goal is to provide an event where the entire VA community can come together, regardless of organizational affiliation, and share insights, educate, and network.

2. What would be your advice to a Virtual Assistant wanting to pursue Real Estate as their niche?

 I advise VAs wanting to pursue Real Estate as their niche to become an expert or specialist in the area they select. Secondly, I suggest they connect with a mentor, or join a forum where they can ask questions from knowledgeable and experienced VAs. There are several VA organizations and training programs specifically created for virtual assistants interested in partnering with Realtors: International Real Estate Assistant Association (IREAA) and Real Estate Virtual Assistants Network (REVANetwork). Information about these organizations, RE niche training programs, and general topic VA forums can be found at the Alliance for Virtual Businesses, the online information portal to the virtual assistant industry.

3. Virtual Assistance is still fairly new to Realtors here in Canada. How do you think we can effectively educate agents here about the VA industry?

My suggestions would be to work from the top hierarchy of the industry down; when you have the support and endorsement of the leaders, more doors will open.

• Identify the most influential realtors. Usually they are well respected brokers, Realtors, and leaders of the local and national associations.
• Connect with these leaders and request an opportunity to make a presentation at a regularly scheduled meeting (10-15 minutes).
• Volunteer to write a productivity or tips column for the regularly published ezine/newsletter, etc.
• Submit articles for the national/local ezine/news bulletin, etc.
• Identify the influential real estate bloggers/podcasters and request to be a guest on their shows.
• Connect with the editor of the Real Estate section of the local Sunday newspaper to submit articles (case studies, etc.) regarding benefits of working with VAs or about a new technology that would be beneficial for Realtors.
• Partner with businesses that service the RE industry and host a networking event for Realtors in your local community. Set aside 30 minutes to introduce attendees to virtual assisting.
• Solicit support and testimonials from Realtors that have had positive experiences with virtual assisting and use those relationships as a springboard into their sphere of influence.

It takes time to make inroads into an industry; however each of these suggestions can produce great rewards. Select a few to focus on, create a plan of action, designate individuals to handle different tasks associated with the desired result and give it a shot!

4.  In what ways can a Professional Real Estate Virtual Assistant (PREVA) assist Realtors?

 This is such a broad question with so many ways to respond – I’ll just provide a short list as a start point.

• Transaction coordination
• Drip campaigns
• Internet marketing
• Creating and maintaining ezines, databases, postcard distribution
• Web site design, maintenance, management
• Branding & Logo design
• Bill paying, Appointment scheduling &Calendar maintenance
• Document processing
• Listings management
• Virtual tours

5. Blogging and Podcasting are extremely popular right now. How important do you think Blogging is for Realtors and their business right now?

Blogging can be a very important, effective yet inexpensive element of a Realtor’s online arsenal. Below are five reasons why Realtors should blog:

• Blogs offer a business owner a chance to share his expertise and knowledge with potential customers.
• Blogs positively impact search engine ranking.
• Increase in inbound links (generated by visitors linking back to the blogger’s post) contributes to a site’s popularity and indexing.
• Blogging creates a stronger personal connection with readers, which may influence their opinion about the writer’s services and ultimately generate referrals.
• Blogging helps develop a following of devoted readers, which impacts the Realtor’s image, increases prestige and business.

Jennifer, I really enjoy visiting niche blogs and today I’ve had a chance to concentrate on one element of the virtual assistant industry. Yesterday, I visited Anita Bruton, owner of Above and Beyond Administration and tomorrow I stop by Kelly McCausey’s Work At Home Moms Talk Radio show. We’re winding down with just over a week before we conclude the tour. If you haven’t been traveling along, it’s not too late to catch up. Today’s clue (#36) is dtisemrman. Don’t forget to tune in to Kelly’s internet radio show for another clue.

About Sharon Williams
Sharon is the Chairperson of the Alliance for Virtual Businesses and OIVAC, and president of The 24 Hour Secretary an administrative, secretarial and internet-based marketing support services company. She is the 2006 recipient of the Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction Award and co-founder of Virtual Business University an e-learning environment for entrepreneurs ready to step towards their greatness.