It has been proven by Jakob Nielsen that the most most common web reading pattern used by visitors looks like an F. This means that when a visitor first gets to your site they read across the top content area in a straight line (__). Then on they move to read the middle section, again in a straight line (__), but not for long. Finally your visitor will then scan the left side of your website page which forms the branch of the F (|).

So how is that important you ask? Well as you may know most web surfers don't actually read content - they scan it. So how you have your website content laid out will greatly affect the information a vistor actually scans.

So to get your great content read, your first two paragraphs in your content must articulate exactly what it is you want your visitor to know. They may read more but if what is important is already stated...then if they don't read more than they still have the pertient information you are trying to relay!

Secondly, you need to start any of your headings, paragraphs or bullets with words that strongly convey your information. Our eyes are more drawn to bolded or highlighted information which can also help content viewing however use bolding...

Virtual Horizons

When you think of website design I'm sure that like most of us you worked hard on your content and getting your logo designed but did you realize that the colors used on your website can have a psychological impact on your visitors? What does this mean you ask? Well since colors mean different things to different people you need to know who your targeted audience is as well as knowing what message you are trying to convey. Check out the brief color list below and see how some colors may make your visitors feel emotionally:

• White: purity, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity
• Black: secrecy, death, power, sophistication
• Grey: reserved, neutral, moody
• Red: love, excitement, passion, food, warning, danger
• Purple: royalty, mystery, rarity, luxury
• Blue: professionalism, loyalty, conservatism, trust, success
• Yellow: brightness, cheerfulness
• Orange: fun, youth, creativity
• Green: money, nature, fertility, health
• Brown: earth, nature

As you can see there are many emotions associated with colors so you really want to pick the right one ie. red is a color that is used for food, that if used correctly is known to make you eat more, however if you used blue on your food site - well the results would be disastrous as blue...

Virtual Horizons

When I think of being community minded within a forum I relate it to how I would participate in my own neighborhood functions. Imagine if you would this picture... It is summer time and you are arriving at your annual neighborhood BBQ. You of course bring along your favorite dish as you know the rule that you don’t arrive empty handed at a party. You visit and catch up on what is happening in the neighborhood. You share plans with your neighbors, getting to know one another personally – you find out about their experiences, their quirks, and their goals such as an upcoming vacation. You volunteer to look after your neighbor’s home when they go away, wanting to be a help. Because you are known in your neighborhood by the way you maintain your own home, you’ve built up a trust and so you are deemed trustworthy and reliable - your housesitting offer is snapped up!

Now let’s flip this around and compare a neighborhood function to a forum community. You arrive at the forum, check out the posts or blogs by fellow members, catching up on what is happening in the forum. Just like taking food to a party, you bring your knowledge to the forum, posting and sharing with others as you would a favorite recipe. You too begin to get...

Virtual Horizons

What exactly is a 'Wordpress Plugin' you ask? A plug-in is a computer program that allows you to add additional features/functions to your Wordpress blog increasing its functionality. Listed below are six of my favorite plug-ins with a brief discription of their use:

1. Sociable is a plugin which adds social media buttons to your posts, therefore allowing web users the opportunity to bookmark and share interesting sites they find online. Think of it as allowing you to be a social butterfly - pollinating someone's website with new traffic!
   
2. Secure and Accessible PHP Contact Form is a contact form that is easy to upload and customize to fit your websites overall design.
   
3. Google XML Sitemaps is a plug-in that will create a Google approved sitemap of your WordPress blog which helps out your Google rating because the Google bots follow your sitemap like you would a treasure map except they find your content not gold.
   
4. Google Analytics allows you to add Google analytics to your blog which allows you to track stats on your website such as how many visitors you have and whether your content matches what they were seeking.
   
5. All In One SEO Pack plug-in provides SEO out of the box. If you've been around

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Virtual Horizons

You’ve finally done it! You are venturing out on your own…you are excited at the prospect of finally being a business owner and living the dream. Like many of us, when you venture into the virtual world you recognize the need for a web presence however it doesn't take long before reality sets in and what started out as an exciting adventure is starting to look like a mountain to overcome. You’ve started to do your research into getting your web presence set up but have come to the realization that it isn’t going to be cheap! If you were anything like me, you don’t have that big of a budget so now what are your options?

Well the most obvious choice is that you can hire a web designer who will/can design your site to your specifications however there are a few drawbacks to this.

1. Money. It can be costly as their time & skill is worth money-good money well spent if you have the cash flow.
2. Any changes you may want down the road will require your web designer to do it (good for them, again an added expense to you!). You will also have to wait your turn for them to fit you into their workflow queue.

The next option for consideration is that you create your own website. You gasp! You are thinking that...

Virtual Horizons

Aha! I am sure that I got your attention with that (as was intended). I recently was perusing one of the threads on VAF and found that one of our VA's had highly recommended a book title that interestingly enough I had just considered purchasing at our local bookstore. Now I didn't buy the book however as I was feeling my tightwad spirit come out post-holiday season and so I made a mental note to look into it for a later date.

As I continued on reading the thread about this recommended book there was a comment from another VA which is where I found this amazing free reading resource - the local library! I have to admit that I am an avid reader but I sometimes forget that I have this amazing resource right at my fingertips. So my advice to you is that before you decide to part ways with your hard earned cash, check out your local library's business reading resources first. You would be amazed at what titles they have for loan out and you may be able to request a specific book that you were hoping to read to increase your business knowledge for 2009.

Until next time...

Virtual Horizons

The countdown is on...there are now only seven more shopping days (maybe only six depending on your timezone) until Christmas. If you had unlimited resources this year and could purchase five 'business' toys - what would they be? I was thinking of this as I finished up my Christmas shopping today and thought I would share with you my official Santa wish list. In no specific order here they are:

1. Neat Receipts - I keep getting drawn to the office section at our local Costco and I have even picked up the box to read exactly how it will 'Simplify my life'...you know how it goes, trying to convince myself to buy it. Still not totally convinced yet but I would love to have a way to organize all my loose papers that I always mean to file but never get around to. The end of year tax season would be almost stress free if I didn't have to look so hard for those pesky missing expense receipts because they would already be filed digitally on my computer.
2. MacBook Pro - On this previous thread there was a discussion of the pros/cons of Mac vs PC. I have been seriously contemplating whether to switch over to a Mac but had some reservations as to the compatibility of using PC programs on a Mac platform. I am now convinced and have picked out

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Virtual Horizons

I just discovered this neat little site called Wordle.It allows you to enter a string of text into a text box and then it generates a 'word cloud'. Once you have entered your text it allows you the option of customizing your 'cloud' with different fonts, layouts and colours. Very neat! Have a peek and let me know what you think.

Until next time...

Virtual Horizons

I recently came across an excellent article from fellow VA, Angie Green, which describes the concept that an entrepreneur satisfies needs we do not even know we have. To have it put into words what exactly an entrepreneur should be/do has inspired me to change some wrong thinking on my part. You see, I am guilty of colouring within the lines and staying within my comfort zone when it comes to any kind of marketing. That means that when opportunities to speak up have occurred (and they have) that I usually freeze and get the ‘caught in the headlights’ look. I’m also a forum lurker so I haven’t participated in many discussions which have been proven to be beneficial in both creating a support system and increasing your online presence. Has this helped spread the word about the Virtual Assistant industry or my business? No way!

To think like an entrepreneur we have to be willing to step outside the box. That means for all of us wallflowers we need to step out and overcome what fears we may have when it comes to talking to others about what we do. If we were to truly believe that we can offer potential clients a solution for problems that they don’t even know they have yet – there would be no stopping how far we could...

Virtual Horizons

Today I have been given the incentive to get a blog up and running. You see, I have a hard time saying no to a challenge, especially if there is a prize at the end. Therefore I plan on accepting Virtual Assistant Forum's offer to blog...how about you?

I admit it...I am a self-confessed wall flower so this is my first venture into the blogging sphere however it is at the top of my to-do-list for 2009. Looking forward to seeing how well it goes.

Virtual Horizons