Whether you work in communications in a corporation, an agency, a not-for-profit or the public sector, you’ve probably encountered people who don’t know when to stop editing.
Editing is one of the most important stages of the writing process. With even one round of editing you can see drastic improvements in quality. You can see [...]
Category Archives: writing
When Editing No Longer Helps
January 12, 2009 – 8:00 am
Are You A Buffler?
December 19, 2008 – 12:12 pm
A few weeks ago I posted a list of my top ten most irritating PR phrases. Shortly thereafter, I received an email from Melanie Seasons (@mseasons on Twitter) from the UK online PR agency onlinefire.
Melanie introduced me to a new verb:
Buffle – a contraction of business and waffle.
Apparently nearly half of the respondents to a survey they [...]
Top 10 Most Irritating Phrases In PR
November 26, 2008 – 8:00 am
Oxford University recently compiled its list of “top ten irritating phrases,” as reported by The Telegraph (side note: 2703 comments at time of writing!):
At the end of the day
Fairly unique
I personally
At this moment in time
With all due respect
Absolutely
It’s a nightmare
Shouldn’t of
24/7
It’s not rocket science
It’s true – every one of those phrases is over-used and irritating.
I’d [...]
Quality Matters
November 17, 2008 – 8:30 am
When you finish a piece of work, are you willing to put your reputation on the line for it?
I hope so, because that’s what happens.
Every time you finish a piece of work, your reputation is on the line. Hand over exceptional work and your reputation will improve. Hand over sloppy work and it will worsen.
It’s [...]
10 Easy-To-Avoid Grammar Mistakes
August 9, 2008 – 11:16 pm
I’m going to get all Grammar Girl on you here. Bear with me.
I’m not a grammar saint, but I’m nerdy enough to both laugh and nod my head at Eats, Shoots and Leaves. As a communications guy, it helps.
A few basic grammar mistakes have started to really bug me. I’ve see them more and [...]
Could SEO Devalue News Releases Even More?
August 1, 2008 – 12:33 am
Why not just make sure that your release is relevant, well-written and on-topic? A well written release will have plenty of the important words in there as a natural result. With a little extra attention you can optimize your release without compromising its quality.
I’m Done With Social Media
February 15, 2008 – 4:24 pm
“Social media” is out. So is “microblogging.” No more “social bookmarking” either. What am I talking about? Clear writing. Plain language.
