IB TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES
IB - WRITER &
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IB TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES IB - WRITER & |
| This list is intended as
a guideline only as it is difficult to detail the wide variety of tasks
we perform on a daily basis. If what you require is not listed, please
ask. If we are not capable of providing the service you need, we
will be happy to refer you to an experienced VA who can assist you.
Please see Prices page for details of hourly rates or per project fees. |
| WORD
PROCESSING |
We can
help with everything from letters and memos to reports, journals or complete
procedure manuals. We are fully conversant with all Windows packages
and can supply a professionally finished document on plain paper or your
own letterhead.
Leave the choice of fonts and layout to us or specify a range of special features, including graphics and desktop publishing options. We can accommodate special layouts such as columns, tables, or charts and a range of styles and colours. |
| TRANSCRIPTION
|
We
are equipped to handle all manner of audio dictation whether a letter,
report, meetings, seminars, conferences or interviews. We can transcribe
standard audio tapes, micro or mini cassettes, video tapes or mini disc
recordings, as well as DSS and WAV digital sound files. Once
transcribed, your work can be emailed, faxed or posted.
Editing service Rarely does spoken English appear concise and clear, particularly in interviews. It can appear rambling and repetitive (lots of ums and ahs) and can easily become incomprehensible. We can edit the literal transcription into a taut, easily understood text where the speaker's meaning is clear. Please contact us for details of prices. PLEASE NOTE - We invariably speak much faster than we write or type. It is generally accepted that we can speak four times faster than we can type. It is a commonly held misconception that it takes one hour to transcribe one hour of recorded tape. This is incorrect. The industry standard allows ONE hour to transcribe 15 minutes of clearly recorded speech. It can take a MINIMUM of 4 hours to transcribe a 1 hour tape and as much as 6 or 8 hours depending on
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| EDITORIAL
SERVICES |
These
are available for publishers, literary editors, companies large or small,
and individuals. We welcome both non fiction (anything from short
articles, technical manuals, journals or books) to fiction (from magazine
articles and short stories to novels) and from both new and established
authors.
N.B. Irene Boston is a published author of 8 guidebooks and walking books and understands the needs of both writers and publishers. Our Photo Library, with its extensive collection of landscapes, towns and villages of the British Isles, may be of interest to both publishers and writers. |
| PROOFREADING
|
Checking
proofs is a tedious but critical task and any mistakes overlooked can be
costly to correct at the page proof stage. Modern computer spellcheckers
are useful but have their limitations. They are based on US English
and are unable to distinguish the correct tense or even whether a word
is correct (i.e. they would not pick up the difference between here and
hear).
We can provide either a straight proof reading service or make corrections to copy on disk or hard copy, or both. We can mark changes on hard copy, change documents electronically, flagging any changes, additions or deletions. We can
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| COPY
EDITING
|
Depending
upon the degree of editing required, we can offer any, or all, of the following:
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| COPY
WRITING |
We
can assist with copy for business brochures, information booklets, leaflets,
instruction manuals, fact sheets, business plans, reports, proposals,
newsletters, press releases, articles and offer a full ghost writing service
for books.
If you need to turn your rough draft or handwritten notes into a full manuscript, we can provide a complete writing service to your specifications. |
| MANUSCRIPTS
Email Us |
This facility is available to both writers and publishers if you need handwritten notes, typed drafts or audio transcription turned into a finished manuscript. |
| DISSERTATIONS
& THESES |
We
can provide you with a speedy turnaround for your handwritten notes.
Mail, fax or email your dissertation / thesis and we will produce a laser
printed hard copy, plus floppy disk to your specification.
IF ENGLISH IS NOT YOUR MOTHER TONGUE we can check your document for spelling errors and ensure it is grammatically correct. We offer everything from a simple read through of your document with handwritten changes and a list of suggestions, to a complete editorial and re-writing service, making alterations where appropriate without changing the original meaning. Please contact us for details of editing prices. |
| WEBSITE
DESIGN & MAINTENANCE
|
We
can assist with basic website design, editing and offer a maintenance
package which will cover any amendments / revisions you wish to make.
We can offer an editing service for your existing website, checking spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, validity of links and the appearance of your website in different browsers. Email us for prices. Package 1 - Basic Website Design up to 5 pages (text only, no e-commerce, photos, databases), any minor amendments / revisions for up to 6 months. Includes re-writing of meta tags if necessary. Two submissions to major search engines & directories at six monthly intervals. Extra pages will be quoted separately. Package 2 - Editing & Submission Service checking existing website design, spelling, grammar, validity of links, appearance in different browsers, search engine rankings and advice on meta tags, including re-writing title, description and keyword tags if necessary. Two submissions to major search engines & directories at six monthly intervals. Package 3 - Submission to major search engines. Research into appropriate web business directories and submission. Package 4 - One page website and a one-off submission to major search engines only. Or please contact us for a quote if the service you need is not listed. Please note: Our basic (text only) website design packages include up to 5 pages. If you require an "all singing / all dancing" site, this is not part of our service but we can put you in touch with a specialist website design service. |
| WEBSITE
SUBMISSION,
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION & WEBSITE RE-WRITING |
Website
submission is just as important as design. You can have the fanciest
website in the world, but if the site is not submitted correctly and regularly,
no one will find it. It is akin to printing a pile of glossy brochures,
and then keeping them in your spare room instead of sending them out!
We offer a free check on your website's position in the major search
engines and a report detailing our suggestions for improvements.
We offer search engine optimisation services. We can analysise your meta tags and copy text on your web pages and advise on any additions or suggested improvements. We can research and write fresh meta tags (including title, description and keywords) to ensure ALL relevant phrases are included. We also offer advice on changes to website copy in order to ensure as many relevant keywords are included in your website text as possible. There is no point in having a website full of marketing speak and PR hype if the search engines can't find more than a few keywords on your website. Remember: you are writing the website for the search engines first and clients second! We can submit your website to the major search engines and directories and continue a programme of regular maintenance and submission to enhance your chances of being found by potential clients. We can also research the most appropriate website business directories and submit your site accordingly. |
| VIRTUAL
OFFICE MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION |
A
useful service for people who spend too much time organising their schedule.
Or who don't want the commitment and expense of equipping an office.
Let us manage your diary by scheduling appointments. We can help with your conference organisation or the planning of any special events. We can assist with travel arrangements, restaurant reservations, office management and undertake your library and internet research. We can sort your email, respond to routine or junk emails and forward items of importance. We can also handle your phone and fax messages and forward your "snail" mail. Use our reminder service for business appointments, birthdays, anniversaries and bill paying. |
| CVS
RESUMES |
The
aim of a CV is to secure an interview not a job - that is up to you at
the interview stage. A CV which
is too long will never be read by an employer. A CV must be concise,
informative and clearly written. It must stand out in a crowd of
inferior documents and has maybe 30 seconds to a minute to make an impression.
No one will read every word of a CV. The best you can hope for is
a cursory speed read of the main points, so you have one chance to convey
the information needed to secure an interview. A well constructed
cover letter is as important as the CV itself and will probably receive
as much attention. Have your CV professionally produced to ensure yours
doesn't end up on the discarded pile.
Personal, professional or academic. We can either provide a simple service and type your CV to your requirements or provide advice on layout and content. We provide as many laser-printed copies as you need on a choice of 80gsm or 100gsm white or coloured paper. We can also provide a copy on disk or as an email attachment to make future changes easier. We can also type any JOB APPLICATION letters you may need, together with addressed envelopes and can submit your details to any job websites. We can either re-type your original CV with no changes, providing you with one hard copy, or we can offer various packages: Package
1 -
Retyping
your original with no changes
Package
2 -
Edit
or enhance your original
Package
3 - CV from scratch
Master cover letter (either from handwritten or faxed original) can be supplied either from your original or can be composed from scratch either for specific job vacancies or speculative submissions. A proof of your CV will be snail mailed, faxed or emailed to you for approval. All CVs are retained on file for one year for ease of updating at a future date. Final versions can be supplied in hard copy, faxed, emailed or on disk. We can also provide research facilities for online job searching to enable you to submit your CV to the appropriate target market. If you require us to search for appopriate job websites, this will be charged at our hourly administration rate. |
| BOOK
KEEPING
|
Let
me start with what we cannot do! We are not accountants or fully
qualified book-keepers, and cannot do their jobs or help with your tax
self assessment. What we can do is help to sort out your accounts,
put them into some kind of order and prepare them for submission to your
accountants which will hopefully reduce the latter's final fees.
We regret we cannot provide you with a PAYE service.
We can manage purchase ledgers, sales ledgers or cash books and produce bank reconciliations, or spreadsheets to help you keep track of your accounts. Or we can simply put your receipts into date order and produce weekly, monthly, and yearly spreadsheets, itemizing your income and outgoing expenses. |
| RESEARCH | Comprehensive library and internet research service available to academics, writers and business people worldwide. We can search and review Net resources on assigned topics and report the findings in whichever form you prefer. |
| PRESENTATIONS
|
If you need to deliver a lecture or a presentation, but don’t have the facility to produce A4 overheads, handouts or slide shows, let us turn your notes into a Powerpoint presentation, laser printed onto transparency acetate. We can offer a choice of graphics, charts and clip art. We can provide a floppy disk or a CD or email the completed output. |
| MAILSHOT
ETTERS, LABELS, BULK FAX & E-MAILS |
Bulk
Mailshot: Send a mailing to existing or potential customers.
We can provide the letter, (individually addressed if necessary or with
labels) and stuff envelopes. You may wish to process the envelopes via
your own franking system to ensure that your company name is printed on
the envelopes or alternatively let us handle everything.
Bulk Fax & Email: Similar service to above available SPAM / JUNK: Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that the list(s) you supply are legal. We all dislike junk mail and spam email and my service is not available to anyone wishing to misuse the system. |
| DATABASES
Email Us |
Using Windows Access, we can help you keep track of clients by setting up and managing a database, with regular data entry and print-outs as required. |
| DESKTOP
PUBLISHING
Email Us |
We can produce newsletters, flyers, menus, posters, adverts, press releases, promotional material or leaflets using an inkjet colour printer. |
| EVENT PLANNING | If you need to organise business meetings, trade shows, conferences and exhibitions, we can send invitations, receive replies, order supplies, contact vendors and prepare literature. |
| INVOICING | If running your business leaves you no time to issue invoices for completed work, we can take over that chore and ensure invoices are issued promptly. We can also save you precious time by issuing regular statements and chasing overdue payments. |
| AMENDMENTS
/ REVISIONS - We
always hold copies of completed work on our computer for one year.
This enables us to make updates or amendments with ease, saving you time
and money.
If you would like further information about any of our services or want to discuss an option not mentioned, please call and we will do our best to help. We have access to a network of experienced VAs via the Alliance of UK Virtual Assistants, who between us cover most of the specialist skills. |
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| Copyright
© Irene Boston 1998-2004 IB Secretarial Services All Rights Reserved Web Site Design - Irene Boston All contents of this website are protected under copyright law. No part of this website may be reproduced in any form, electronic or otherwise without written permission from IBSS. Any copyright breach will be reported to the relevant authorities. This page was last updated 29th August 2004 |