Refer to older posts…

Are bad examples good?

Published 17 April, 2012 | By TashWord

Learn from mistakes

Theory has its place, but an example often makes learning something much easier. In many areas, an example of a mistake or poor quality is an even more effective teacher than examples of the correct technique.

Using examples to teach

For instance, I can tell you it is best to use the fewest words possible to give a message and to avoid repeating a word.

Or I can give an example: Leave as long as possible before proof reading your writing.

Or I can show you a bad example: Another effective way to increase the possibility of increasing your link building purposes… Then explain the issues with it and write it well: Another effective way of potentially increasing your incoming links…

Does it work for you?

Do you like seeing poor examples of something as a means of learning to avoid those same mistakes yourself?

I have put some bad writing examples in my blog (and the one above is a real example from a blog post I read) and always include one in my newsletter.

The bad examples I use are real but I never identify who wrote them – if you searched hard enough you might figure it out, but I respect that the writers didn’t mean to provide us with bad examples and use discretion 🙂

I think it is an effective way of showing how to write well – but do you find it useful? Would you like to see more bad examples I spot to help you improve your writing?

Posted in About Word Constructions, bad writing examples | Tagged examples, improve, learn, writing | 11 Comments

Is your presents required?

Published 16 April, 2012 | By TashWord

Unfortunately, I came across the following sentence online last week:

It is true that having an online presents is very important, however it is just as important to have a real life presents.

So today’s Monday Meaning is aimed at correcting that sentence, and preventing it ever being written again!

presents [noun]: something given to another; a gift
The pile of presents reached the branches of the Christmas tree.

presents [verb]: the act of handing over and introducing something or someone
The compere presents each nominee before the awards are announced.

presence [noun]: the existence or occurrence of someone or something in a particular place
The contract must be signed in the presence of two adult witnesses.

To remember which is which, think about the presents you have been sent.

Posted in Monday Meanings | Tagged definition, meaning, presence, presents | 8 Comments

Simple words, simple fonts

Published 13 April, 2012 | By TashWord

I often suggest using fewer words to make reading your message simple and easy.

Roger Dooley, author of Brainfluence, has added a new form of simplicity to effective communications – simplicity in fonts.

Research has shown that ornate fonts make a task appear to be more time-consuming than the same task written in a clearer, simpler font. An ornate font could actually make your products and services seem slow or tedious, which is obviously not an image you want to promote.

Dooley stated that a simpler font will communicate your message better because it is easier to read and looks easier to read (i.e. is more appealing). Just like a simpler message is easier and more appealing.

What do you think – does a fancy font impact on how you perceive a product or service?

Shorter messages and clearer fonts make writing readable

Which font is clearer?

PS The recommendation is to use a clear font such as Arial for descriptions and instructions.

Posted in Business Communications | Tagged communicate, font, simple | 18 Comments

Writing is a skill

Published 12 April, 2012 | By TashWord

Lady Gaga – more skilled at singing than most

Singing is just saying words in time to music, really. I even get requests to sing most days – Twinkle Twinkle and once I caught a fish alive are some of the most frequent requests. So it’s probably time I recorded my first album and gave Lady Gaga a run for her money isn’t it?

I know how to run, too – it’s like walking only you pump your arms and go faster. So I think I will join the Australian Olympic team, but can’t be bothered training much before London.

Do those ideas sound a little silly?

Assessing your own skill sets

Obviously there are many things I can do (cook, draw, throw a ball, hammer a nail, first aid and dance just to name a few) but most of those things I can’t do well enough to call myself an expert or expect money or fame for.

So why do so many people think that because they know how to form letters with a pen or type, they know how to write to a commercial standard?

Acknowledging that writing is a skill

I have come across a lot of examples lately where people think they will start an online writing career for easy cash or because they like the freestyle lifestyle. And others who ‘offer writing expertise’ while demonstrating they can’t spell or write a coherent sentence.

It frustrates me – not because I feel they are any threat to me (my clients want quality and can tell the difference between poor and good writing) but because it cheapens the efforts of quality, skilled writers (like Paul Hassing, Sarah Mitchell, Lorraine Thompson, Desolie Page and Belinda Weaver to name a small sample).

It angers me when these same people put information out there that is wrong or easily misunderstood. If their readers don’t know any better, they could be lead into costly mistakes. Good writers not only write well but, for less known topics, research the material or get expert assistance on the content before posting any content online.

Writing well is a skill – aspects of it can be learnt (such as how to spell correctly and when to use a capital letter) but much of it comes naturally and through experience. Reading and learning contribute to the skills of a writer, so even great writers can improve.

I can write well. I can sing – but only well enough to entertain my toddlers and enjoy myself (Lady Gaga need not fear me as competition!) I know the difference between those skill sets and use them accordingly. Is it so much to ask that other people realistically assess their skills, too?

Posted in bit off track, business info & tools | Tagged cheapen, skill, writing | 25 Comments

Updated corporate style guide

Published 11 April, 2012 | By TashWord

I have just read a memo from a client’s supplier about an update to their corporate style guide.

The article explains the value of the style guide, with comments such as “maintaining a consistent look and feel to all materials was crucial in maintaining a positive and lasting impression of the organisation.”

Comprehensive style guide

Putting the elements together for a brand

As is often the case, the article discusses the design elements of the brand (such as where the logo goes on letterheads, forms and advertising). Designers often prepare (or advice on) a style guide that is actually a design style guide; a comprehensive corporate style guide will include all elements of the brand style such as spelling and punctuation conventions and writing style.

They also make the mistake of using the word brand instead of logo – brand is so much more than a logo.

For true consistency, a style guide must include everything. It can then be split into components for specific uses – such as pulling out the website design section for a web designer or the logo and colours for a form designer.

Logo guidelines

In case you are working on your style guide, here are some of the key points this article mention about use of their logo to get you thinking more broadly.

only use the logo in provided formats and colours
use the logo only once in corporate documents
use the entire logo (i.e. don’t split the image from the text)
never print other images or word over the logo
logo must be prominent
unless using a provided template, get approval from {name} before using logo in external materials

Have you considered all those issues for your logo and included them in a style guide?

Posted in Business Communications | Tagged brand, logo, style guide | Leave a comment

Editing guest blog posts

Published 10 April, 2012 | By TashWord

Accepting guest blog posts for your blog can be a win-win-win situation if they are good quality posts.

Sometimes you will receive guest blog posts that are pretty good but not quite at the standard you want for your blog.

I know I have read blog posts that have great ideas and tips but are poorly written or posts that seem good but don’t quite develop the ideas enough to be useful.

The temptation is therefore to edit the posts so they also read well or make their intended point.

Is it ok to edit guest posts?

Yes and no!

If the guest blogger has made a simple error or two (for example you instead of your, busniess instead of business, or copywrite instead of copyright), then I would fix it for them.

A good writer would prefer you to fix that (or ask them to) then let them have public errors. And may not realise you have made the changes if they don’t go back to their original.

However, it is still polite to let them know you edited their work.

On the other hand, if the post has numerous and/or more serious issues, it is not ok to edit it without the author’s consent.

Remember that the guest blogger’s name will be with that piece so they have the right to know it is in their words – and you also enter into legal issues for what is called moral rights.

I think there are three ways you can get an edited post:

Return it to the author with an explanation of what is wrong and ask if they are happy for you to edit it – offering to get their approval before publishing of course
Edit it and return it to the author for approval before publishing it – make sure you introduce the subject nicely as some people will be offended at you doing this
Ask them to edit it (and ideally explain why it needs editing so they have an idea of what to change)

Some blogs have a policy stating that they can edit the post before it goes live. Even with such a policy, I would not advise doing heavy edits to someone’s work without giving them the power to accept/reject those changes.

If you submit a guest post, how would you like the host blogger to deal with your work if it contained errors?

Posted in blogging, business info & tools | Tagged editing, guest post, quality | 14 Comments

Blog post linking

Published 5 April, 2012 | By TashWord

In a recent blog post, Anna Cairo stated that many links to other blogs can theoretically make your blog successful – rather than just the blog itself.

So how does linking to other blogs help your blog?

you provide additional information for your readers which they will appreciate – especially if you link to someone who gives a different perspective or technical input to your blog
you can support your opinions and knowledge with other posts to build your credibility
search engines give you credit for outgoing links when assessing your blog’s ranking so linking to others, especially other good blogs and posts, is good for your SEO
the people you link to will probably appreciate your links. Many of them will leave a comment in your blog or return the favour by linking to your blog
others’ blog posts can inspire ideas for your own post so why not link back to the post that inspired you? Either as a courtesy or as a means of introducing the issue you are posting about (i.e. it saves you writing out a detailed background for your post)
your blog is more interesting if it has variety and links off to relevant materials, whether on your site or elsewhere – and people are more likely to share interesting posts and blogs than boring ones!

So when is the last time you linked to another blog within one of your blog posts?

Posted in blogging, marketing | Tagged blog, link, seo | 16 Comments

Are templates cheating?

Published 3 April, 2012 | By TashWord

Sometimes people talk about templates as if they are cheating, inferior and inappropriate as a business tool.

A blank page can be hard to fill

I don’t agree – there are times a template is not the right answer but they can be very useful in business.

Using a template doesn’t mean everything is exactly the same – adjustments are made to suit the purpose.

Templates for letters, emails, style guides, procedures, web pages and other business materials can help your business in three key ways.

Consistency
If every letter sent from your business has the same format, it looks professional, builds your brand and shows attention to detail
Time saving
Using a template saves a lot of time. An email or webpage template can reduce the time needed for formatting, setting meta data and remembering the necessary details (phone, ABN, disclaimer, etc), and so on.
Getting started
A template can provide a starting point and can be much easier to work from than a blank page – this saves mental energy and time. If you don’t know where to start with preparing a style for your business, a corporate style guide template can get you started and inspire you to ask the right questions

I think templates are suitable for many things (e.g. procedures and standard information) although they can be misused and abused.

What templates do you use (or have you used) in your business? What advantages do you get from them?

Posted in Business Communications, writing | Tagged consistency, style guide, templates, writing | 15 Comments

Console foreign dignitaries…

Published 2 April, 2012 | By TashWord

Another pair of words that could lead to embarrassment if used in the wrong way…

consul: [noun] a State agent in a foreign place, usually to represent the state in that foreign place
I contacted the Australian Consul about voting when I was in Europe last year.

console: [verb] comfort and make someone feel better; [noun] control panel or switchboard of electrical equipment; [noun] cabinet or frame supporting equipment such as a TV or stereo
Family and friends gathered around the widow in an attempt to console her.
The sound technician pored over the console to find the error and restore sound.

Posted in Monday Meanings | Tagged console, consul, foreign, meaning | 4 Comments

Useful policies are short

Published 30 March, 2012 | By TashWord

If you take the time to prepare a policy or procedure,then you may as well make it accessible to people, right?

I just read a blog post discussing how the average internet user could spend 76 business days a year reading privacy policies that affect them. 76 days!

That is based on the average policy having 2,514 words. Which is a lot of words for a policy that basically needs to say ‘we will only give your information to Fred under these circumstances’.

And it is an average. Some places have very short privacy policies (for example, if you subscribe to my newsletter you will see a 34 word policy!) so that must mean other places have extremely long policies.

So next time you write or update a policy, keep it as short as possible by

using simple words as much as possible so it is easy to understand
avoiding legalese so it makes sense to everyone and doesn’t look intimidating
think about your reader – what do they want to know and expect to see?
use an active voice as it is generally shorter than a passive version of the same sentence
use bullet points and sub-headings to organise the policy – this is easier to read, often means less repetition is necessary and sentences don’t need to be so complex.

Legally, you may be covered by providing a policy even if people don’t bother reading it (how often do you read the policies you agree to online?) but I wouldn’t be comfortable with including unexpected details that could hurt people later. That is, the legal issue is not always the moral one so I prefer policies people are more likely to read.

As a business owner, do you just want to protect yourself or do you want people to properly understand your policies?

Posted in Business Communications | Tagged effective, legally, policy, short | 8 Comments

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