One of the first questions I ask when beginning a new project is: Who is the reader? That's often the hardest question for the client to answer, but it’s essential if the product – whether it’s a book, an article, web copy, or whatever – is going to be effective. James Chartrand has put [...]
If your company hasn’t made a serious commitment to blogging, here’s a great reason why you should: Journalists are using blogs for research and story development. If you’re not blogging, you could be missing out on some valuable media exposure. How did I find this out? From a blog, of course.
Like everybody, I hate spam. It annoys me that these low-lifes get to waste my time just because I have an e-mail address. Most of it I can spot and delete without reading, but every so often, I get tricked into opening one of those messages. What tricks me? Usually a good subject line. And [...]
I am delighted to be featured as Author of the Month for December on MyShelf.com. My thanks to Leslie Halpern for providing this opportunity. Click here to check it out.
A common challenge for employers is communicating information to workers, especially when your operation includes multiple shifts and staffers that don’t all have designated work stations. At a recent stop at the car wash, I saw a great solution. On the way into the building to pay, customers must walk past the restrooms. I couldn’t [...]
I can’t count the times over the years when my clients and associates have either done something or asked me to do something that violates someone else’s copyright—and most of the time, it’s done in innocence. I recently came across a great article that explains some of the myths that many people believe about copyrights. [...]
Technology companies are probably the worst—but not the only—offenders when it comes to spouting jargon that nobody else really understands. I’m not impressed when someone spews out a rapid-paced string of verbal confusion, and I don’t have time to try to sort it out. Like most writers, I'm bombarded daily with news releases and article [...]
Here's a blog post about writing mistakes that I want to share: Author Brian Clark is targeting bloggers in his post, 5 Common Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb, but he’s on the mark with these mistakes no matter what you’re writing or who it’s for. I especially chuckled when I read his closing note [...]
How do you find information online? I do keyword searches, then quickly scan the results for websites that appear to have what I want. And I’m absolutely delighted when a site offers me a chance to receive more information in the form of a free special report, fact sheet, briefing—or white paper. The term “white [...]
Have you ever called your voice mail system and listened to the greeting from the perspective of someone calling for the first time? What sort of an impression are you giving? It's not enough to just make sure your phone gets answered when you're not available; the greeting your callers hear says more about [...]
