Blog conferences can be such valuable tools for business people, even if they don’t blog. You can learn about emerging trends in the blogosphere, which may well impact your business or related activities (such as your marketing techniques, etc). You can learn tools to help you get started in using social media. You can make contacts with some big names and companies or (and just as importantly) make contacts in your community to build a solid customer base from.

If you look at the sessions topics for BlogWest for example, as a business owner you might want to attend sessions on these topics:

• WordPress 101 – for someone who thinks they should be blogging but just doesn’t know where to start
• The Frazzled Can’t Produce – what business owner couldn’t use tips to cope with stress?!
• Google Analytics – can help you understand who’s visiting your site
• Welcome to blogs, boards and Twitter, the future battlegrounds of public debate – a great way to connect with your community and understand the value/potential of social media.

And so many more! I’ll personally be attending sessions that will be beneficial to me as a personal blogger and that will help me continue to add to this business blog. Can’t wait!

A big congrats to the other blawgers who completed the entire challenge:

• Connecticut Employment Law Blog
• Employment Law Blog
• Jeff Krause’s Practice Management Blog
• Leadership, Women, Lawyers
• No Reins Girl
• Taxgirl
• The Connected Lawyer
• The Nutmeg Lawyer

The challenge I think really did get me in the habit of blogging daily and I hope I can stick with it into the fall. Setting aside specific time probably is the solution, although in all honesty I just fit it in wherever worked (as mentioned, usually last thing before shutting down my computer at night!)

Oh, before I go, a huge thank you to one of my biggest supporters during this challenge – and writer of a fabulous “blawg”, Lynne of the Practical Paralegalism blog – thanks Lynne!!!

Next up in my day is a very rare evening out with my best friend and then a weekend of about half work and half fun.

If you want a little bit of relaxation this Friday afternoon, here are a couple of fun links for you:

Want to see a fun little graph of how the Internet sees You? Try this link (my graph is below, and semi-accurate, lol)

Some truly hilarious quotes over at The “Blog” of Unnecessary Quotes  (hat tip to @RandallMoeller)

And a couple of my favorite little jokes from a recent forwarded email. I never even READ forwarded joke emails normally, but this had me laughing hysterically (ok some of the funnier ones turn out not to be blog post appropriate, sorry, but still these are good!):

Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you
may know” feature on facebook people that I do know, but i deliberately
choose not to be friends with?

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on
shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my itunes.

It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on
CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

Have a great weekend!!

I should have pointed the friend to a great blog that often profiles paralegals as a resource for learning more about her potential career path. Lynne DeVenny offers tons of helpful information and news items relating to the paralegal world, but my favorite posts on her blog are the paralegal profiles. It’s a great way to show the various choices within the profession that are available to someone who thinks that this is the career for them! Hmmm, think I better go shoot off a follow up email!!

So far it has been a great reminder of how useful and interesting blogging can be. And I have read some wonderful posts from the other entrants in the contest. A couple of my faves:

• The Haiku post at Leadership, Women, Lawyers (short and sweet)
• Orientate Me at No Reins Girl (love the attitude!)
• D. Jill Pugh’s post about privacy and social networks (makes great points)
• And best for last? I think so! The Nutmeg Lawyer’s post Canada is Trying to Kill Us is hilarious (especially to me as a Canadian!!)

Do take the time to enjoy some of these posts this weekend and see you Monday (I won’t forget to post of course, I’m organized, so it’s in my calendar!)

One of the best aspects of this challenge is that it includes a component to link to the other competitors. What a great reminder that really, we aren’t competitors in the blawgosphere, but rather a community where interaction and inspiration come together to create a whole that is better than the individual parts.

So check out the other competitors (like Only 3 Years, TaxGirl or Hope and Change or any others listed over at Sean Carter’s blog in the right sidebar), then come back here every weekday for my posts about the law, virtual legal assistance, community and working from home (plus whatever else I can come up with to write about, lol!)

Tonight I came across so many interesting posts, for example, loved the idea for a regular Twitter Column from Donna Seale’s Human Rights in the Workplace Blog. I definitely post more frequently on Twitter than I do on my blog! Might as well make sure those tweets are “duly recorded”! I was inspired by the most recent post on Scylla’s Law & Motherhood Blog – a good reminder to those of us who are self employed!

I actually saw, and posted, about this amazing post on Twitter a few days ago, but it caught my attention in my reader tonight nonetheless and is well worth sharing today: The best and the brightest comes from Jordan Furlong at Law 21 and is in my mind a truly thought-provoking post that I wish could be required reading for anyone thinking about applying to a law school – ever. Yes, I liked it that much.

Linsey Krolik had a post from earlier in June  on her Me Too You blog that I only just managed to catch up on. School isn’t out here for a little bit yet (7 days of school left actually!) and I totally can’t wait. Just found out about yet another school activity for the very last week, a grade one garage sale. I need to send both items and money, fun, fun!

Loved PHAT Mommy’s blog post about her Life/Blog Happiness Project. What a great idea!!

You can see why I find so much inspiration in my reader now, right?! I have a huge variety of blogs that I subscribe to, although many have a legal slant, I also of course follow tons of interesting mom bloggers, general business or entrepreneurial blogs and blogs that just fascinate me regardless of their “niche”.

So what’s in your reader that you feel like sharing?

• Grant Griffiths at Blog for Profit says simply blog often
• Problogger extraordinaire Darren Rowse says that it depends on several factors
• Lorelle posted a long ways back on the Blog Herald that you should post when you have something to say (love that advice!)

Still, January is flying by with very little published to my blogs – this one or even my mama blog! It’s one of those things where you get busy doing things for other people (like my clients!) and putting my own business priorities further down the to-do list. I think there’s been a little blog burnout too. I’m not surpised that many bloggers can’t really hang in for the long haul – blogging is usually just one part of anyone’s busy day – even the probloggers have tons of other projects on the go, email, networking, book deals etc.  If we’re ever going to achieve that elusive thing called balance, sometimes things may suffer a little – hopefully not for too long!

So I’ve allowed myself a semi-blogging break so far this month. I’m feeling rested and chatty again so I think I’ll be on track for a while. And I will try to block in my own blogging time regularly in the coming weeks, instead of putting it after everything else. How will you work to get everything done on your to-do list so that you can put some of your needs first? Don’t forget how helpful a virtual assistant might be!

I meant to get this post up yesterday, but actually, January 1 seems like a great day to set out my plans for this exciting new year. I have a lot of goals and I know what I want and expect out of the coming year. This past year gave me time to ease into this business of being a work at home mom, to develop my virtual legal assistant skills and do plenty of networking and now I am so excited about what the future has in store!

Affirmations

A big part of my plans for this year are about affirmations. I read a great article just a little while ago (in Good Housekeeping!) about affirmations. I loved it! It’s something I believe in but don’t utilize near enough, so one of the things I will start doing this year is to put a copy of my affirmations in places in my home where I will see them daily and then I will have that extra confidence builder I need.

Marketing

This year I am finally going to do some local marketing. Just because my business if virtually based doesn’t mean that the local market doesn’t have a need for my services. I’m following the suggestions of some fellow VA’s and doing a simple postcard mailout for now to some law offices in Alberta. I’ve already started work designing it and it should be done and out by mid-January.

Networking

I definitely want to do some in-person networking in 2009. The biggest part of this plan will be my July trip to the annual BlogHer conference in Chicago. It will be my first blogging conference and I’m really excited to network with other bloggers “IRL” (in real life being the theme of BlogHer ’09!) It’ll also be a real test in respect of accomplishing my work while on the road, although I do plan to lighten my load to be fair to my clients.

Clients

Speaking of clients – my plans for 2009 include adding at least 3 more “ideal” clients to my roster. By ideal I mean clients who I feel I can work with in a long-term and successful partnership, individuals or businesses whose work interests me and who will utilize my strengths and challenge me with some interesting work.

Blog

I plan to post at least 3 times per week to my blog. I want to provide content that is informative, interesting and timely. I’ve managed to do pretty well this past year, but I know going into my second year of business blogging that there will be times that I’m busy, or feeling uninspired so it’s important to have a goal to stick to.

Service

It might be last on my list of plans/goals for 2009, but this is of course the most critical component to my virtual assisstant practice. I have every intention of providing incredible value to each and every one of my clients; the ones who I work for a couple of hours a month and the ones who need ten hours of assistance each week. It’s so important to me that I make life easier for my clients, help them grow their businesses, and provide a cheerful and professional shoulder for them to lean on so that they aren’t overburdened by their workloads. My business IS about their businesses after all, not just about me!!

So that’s what I have in the works for 2009 – I’d love to hear what you are doing to make 2009 a successful year for your business. Take care!