Great thinking here. The issue of standardization has bothered me for a long time. Trouble is, unless there's some kind of standard, the 'bad apples' will spoil it all for all of us. As long as clients are willing to test us out, okay, because ethical practices can be quickly demonstrated. But there will come a point where people won't even try, because the reputation of virtual assistance in general will be shot.

Although I didn't pay the dues this year, possibly IVAA is the best organization to center around in terms of standards and certification. They've always had the Ethics Check, which should mean something.

Let's keep discussing this. It's way complicated, but really important for us to face, I think.

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com