Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime

It used to be that when you started a business it was location, location, location. Nowadays, with the advances of technology, it is changed to IT support, IT support, IT support. My IT support person, Will Cox of Mustang Technology (will@.mustangtechs.com) has been an integral part of ensuring that my business keeps running without interruption. He has taken the time to learn my business, my goals and work with me as a partner because he realizes that as long as I am successful, he will successful. I am constantly referring him to family, friends and colleagues.

The second vital thing to remember when it comes to IT support is that you absolutely CAN NOT entrust IT support for your business to a family member or friend unless they have the proper credentials AND get PAID for their services. It may sound funny to insist on paying someone if they offer to work for free, however, it has been my experience that work performed for free is worth every penny.

In Case You Were Wondering

In a nutshell, Lady of Letters converts any audio or video (except for medical & legal) into text. There are many times when having a text copy is necessary, convenient and easier to deal with than an audio or video. It is extremely preferable for editing and composing rather than having to constantly play and rewind an audio or video.

Some examples of who uses our services:

• Writers who record their notes and/or interviews.
• Companies and municipalities that need minutes of meetings.
• Doctoral students who have recorded interviews in preparation for review committees.
• Video production companies to aide in editing movies, docmentaries, commericals, testimonials and presentations.
• Conventions and conference event planners

Tips on Recording Interviews, Meetings, etc.

There really is no mystery to being able to create a good recording of an interview, a meeting, a speech, etc. It doesn't require a huge investment either. Any digital recorder that has the ability to download to a computer will work and they can usually be picked up your local store for far below $100. The microphone is built right in and, if need be, additional microphones can be purchased. Just be sure to tell the store salesperson what you are going to use it for and they can steer you to the right device.

Next, make sure that the recorder you purchase has enough time allowable on it to suit your needs, whether that be 8 hours or 80 hours. Always buy one that has the ability to record longer then you think you will need. Become familiar with the unit's operation and be sure to read the instructions that come with it. That will save a lot of confusion and frustration later on.

Probably the most important thing is to ALWAYS test the recorder beforehand each and every time you use it and always carry spare batteries. Nothing quite like having the recorder die in the middle of everything to make your day complete.

The other vital element to a good recording is to minimize background noise whenever possible. If the environment you are recording in has too much background noise, it will make transcribing extremely difficult and time consuming. The result is higher costs for transcription. This also holds true if you are recording more than one person at a time and they talk over each other. It is nearly impossible for a transcriptionist to pick out what is being said not to mention who said what.

If you follow these simple guidelines, your recordings will be of a higher quality which means a huge savings for you in time, money and headaches!

A rose by any other name?

Why is it that as we strive for equality we still have to separate ourselves from each other with labels that only serve to keep us divided? For instance, African American and Native American. If you are born here, or in any country, doesn't that automatically make you a Native of that country? The definition of native is: born in a particular place or country. Likewise if you are a citizen of America, doesn't that make you an American?

So why does society insist on putting African or Native in front of the term American? You don't hear terms such as "German American" or "French American", etc., these groups are referred to as Americans. So why is it society feels the need to preface it for certain groups of Americans? This practice only keeps the walls of inequality standing. To become truly equal, don't we first have to think of ourselves as equals? One good step in that direction, in my opinion, is to do away with these types of labels.

Note 1

Americans putting Americans to work. Due to the current economic status of America slipping lower and lower, I believe the only true solution is to be an American putting other Americans to work. We need to stop the offshore outsourcing. I do believe that we are in an economically dark tunnel but every tunnel has and end as long as we all move towards the light.

I’ve worked hard to create jobs for fellow Americans in the field of transcription. I founded Lady of Letters five years ago with the idea that there is a need for more than just legal and medical transcription. And I was right! We have clients who are corporate, private, creative, and municipal just to name a few. My team of transcriptionists are all across America from all walks of life. Though I can’t speak to other industries, transcription is still surviving and, in some ways, growing as people become more aware of the value of having transcripts.

In my last Google search for transcriptionist services, I found a vast majority of companies outsource their services offshore. A majority of my clients that have gone down that road encountered a laundry list of issues ranging from language barriers, slow turnaround, incorrect grammar, poor sentence structure and many others. Our client’s report that since switching to Lady of Letters, where their standards are met or exceeded, the transcripts become an asset instead of a liability.

I feel it’s vital for Americans, like myself, to continue to utilize other Americans in the workforce. Stop sacrificing quality for cost and keep American money working in American. I’m not just flag waving; this is my way of living, doing business, and participating in the Free Market. Thank you for listening and I’ll see you on the other side of the tunnel.