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The term "Virtual Assistant" was first coined by Christine Durst in 1995 when she was attempting to explain to her friends and family exactly what it was she did for a living. In Durst's book "The 2-Second Commute" she explained that people in her neck of the woods had a hard time 'getting their minds around' what she was up to. When their eyes would glaze over at her description of the Internet, websites, corporate downsizing, she states, "Eventually, I decided to keep it simple by replying, 'I use the Internet to help businesspeople with their administrative tasks from my office instead of theirs.'"
According to Chris Durst's & Mike Haaren's website, Rat Race Rebellion - Virtual Assistance is defined as:
A VA is a home-based independent contractor (self-employed) who handles business support needs from a distance via email, fax, telephone, etc. VAs, like many of their clients, are the CEOs of their own companies. Often, they become the long-term "growth partners" of their clients, providing administrative support, bookkeeping, scheduling and client contact, or other more-specialized support such as Web site maintenance and market research.
