Programs: (used at least daily, usually)

• Firefox
• GimpShop – open-source version of Photoshop. Takes a bit of use to become familiar, but they do have fantastic forums
• KompoZer - open-source version of Dreamweaver. If anything, it’s much easier to use and figure out and has a more intuitive WYSIWYG editor.
• Skype - use for chatting with other team members, subcontractors, clients, etc. Also use for free Skype-to-Skype calls anywhere in the world!
• Digsby - fantastic tool that aggregates webmail like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL, your IM (except Skype, unfortunately), and all your social networking sites. I love it!
• Core FTP – free ftp tool, never used another. Never needed another.
• Jing - I love this little ball of sunshine that sits at the top of my desktop! It lets me quickly and easily take screenshots images or quick screencast videos and save, share or embed.
• Roboform - saves password so I don’t have to remember them, and don’t have to depend on my browsers’ cookies

Other good ones:

• Audacity - good open-source audio editor for podcasts, audio welcomes, etc.
• Camtasia - while Jing is great for short 5-minute or less videos, Camtasia is the best option out there for taking and editing screencasts. Trust me, I’ve looked!
• BoxShot3D - create rendering program to create ebook covers and more
• CommentHut - tool for speeding up the process of locating blogs to comment on.

These are just the programs I use daily. Later this week, I’ll cover (most) all of the online tools I use daily. After all, we provide internet marketing support!

[tags]Rebecca Zwar, internet marketing virtual assistant tools, social media marketing virtual assistant tools, online marketing tools[/tags]

Microphone: Radio Shack offers a simple $20 microphone that will still be much higher quality than the microphone on your computer. Or check out Plantronics headset/microphone combination. This ranges from $50-$80, but is excellent quality.

Sound editing: Audacity is free software that you can use to edit and mix your audio files. It offers a handful of audio effects and multiple tracks. Many podcasters use it for editing. Another free tool is WavePad. This is an audio recording and editing program. It also comes with a Master Features option, which is only $30.

Finally, there’s Sony Sound Forge. While it is more expensive than these other options, it is considered an industry-standard program if you decide to get into a lot of audio editing.

Hosting: I recommend Bluehost as a great, affordable host to manage multiple domains with lots of storage. But whoever you choose, make sure to check your bandwidth and storage. Or, consider using Audio Acrobat to host your audios, which will save you storage space on your hosts’ server.

Read More: Let’s Start a Podcast – Part One – The Basics and Let’s Start a Podcast – Part Deux – The Keys

[tags]Rebecca Zwar, podcasting, virtual assistant, podcasting equipment[/tags]

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• Pick a subject matter – this one is pretty obvious. Talk about what you know, what you want to communicate, etc.
• Come up with a catchy title – think like a radio show producer. Find a title that makes people want to listen
• Take some time to pick your podcast URL – this can’t be changed, so get it right the first time!
• How often will you broadcast? – it’s best to keep it fairly consistent, and it really shouldn’t drop below once a month, if you’re serious about it
• Don’t break your bandwidth – check with your hosting company to find out how much bandwidth you have, and how much it costs if you go over

Read More: Let’s Start a Podcast – Part One and Let’s Start a Podcast – Part 3

[tags]Rebecca Zwar, podcasting keys, virtual assistant[/tags]

Simply, it’s an audio file that is set up on an RSS feed. Whenever a new podcast is published, subscribers automatically get the file delivered to their computer (unlike a standard link to a regular audio file, which you have to find and download on your own). Bud podcasting goes beyond computers. Many users put these files onto their iPods and mp3 players and listen on the go.

In fact, that’s basically where the name came from – iPod and broadcast (think TV or radio broadcast).

Recent studies have shown that more than 40% of the internet users surveyed have listened to at least one podcast. And while they’ve traditionally been mainly geared towards tech-savvy 20 and 30-somethings, this demographic is quickly change. More and more business professions in the 30-45 year old range are starting to see the value in listening, and creating, podcasts themselves.

Read More: Let’s Start a Podcast – Part Deux – The Keys

[tags]Rebecca Zwar, podcasting virtual assistant, start a podcast, how to use a virtual assistant[/tags]