Just a Dash
Deciding between a hyphen and a dash in a sentence, title or even a sports score can get a little confusing. No more. I’ve got some quick pointers to help decide which line to use.
Communication
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Opting Out
I’m a huge fan of print publications, that’s why I am in the editorial department, but is print the right way to go for everything? What about the Yellow Pages?
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The Top Marketing Charts of 2010
Do you know the number one reason people “like” companies on Facebook? Are mobile campaigns more effective than online advertising? Which day is the best day to send an eNewsletter out to clients?
Answers to all of these questions – and more – reside in “A Year in Numbers” Top 10 Marketing Charts and Research Articles of 2010, a very interesting compilation of articles by Ann Handley, the chief content officer of MarketingProfs.
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Political Stalking or Voter Education?
In the spirit of election week I thought I’d spread the word about an interesting site I’ve been made aware of, www.legistalker.org. Legistalker.org is a one-stop shop where you can stalk follow the online activities of your favorite, or not-so-favorite members of Congress.
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Is English Dead?
Are the people irked by bad grammar, spelling mistakes or a careless approach to punctuation just a bunch of old-fogey curmudgeons?
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Top Content Marketing Blogs – Updated!
One of our favorite content marketing bloggers and authors, Joe Pulizzi, has re-released his list of the the top blogs covering content marketing. He has posted the list nine times (counting his latest list) and the list is worth bookmarking.
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Your Business Reading List
So what books are on your business bookshelf? Fast Company’s expert blogger, Rich Brooks, has boiled down the best books for business into an list of the most essential 13. The list held a few surprises and is not just limited to recent best sellers. Brooks included the following:
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I Was Here: Facebook Places
Facebook “sharing” has always been about showing our friends how we want to be perceived. What we share gives others a look at what we like, what we think, and now, where we can be found.
Facebook Places, announced and released August 18 (at least for US users), is slowly rolling out to users of smartphones. After updating the Facebook app on my iPhone (twice – the first update included Places but without the check-in feature) I tested it out and it works. Nothing too exciting, or ground breaking… yet.
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What Not to Say at Work
In an office environment, it is inevitable that at some point we might start sounding like our cubicle or office neighbor. I don’t know if I do it to “fit in” or if my brain just soaks it in during the course of the day. Maybe it is a little of both, but I’m guilty of using phrases or words that seem to be spreading like a cold virus, and not just in the workplace. They’re everywhere.
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Getting Some Answers
Being a writer for many publications means a lot of interviews either by phone, email or in person. I never know what kind of interview subject I will get or how receptive they will be to what I would like to know.
Finding “the scoop” can prove difficult for some interviewers, because it all lies in the hands (or mind) of the interviewee. I’ve come to find some quick tips in coaxing the story out of subjects.story out of subjects.
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Writer Fired: CNN’s Social Media Policy
Does your company have a formal social media policy? Could you be fired for what you post on your Facebook page or Twitter feed? If you work for CNN, the answer is yes. On Wednesday, CNN fired its senior editor of Middle Eastern affairs, Octavia Nasr, for posting a tweet in favor of Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.
If you are a public figure for an organization, are you allowed to have a personality or are you limited to posting only facts and headlines? Where exactly is the line between what is appropriate to share and what is not – and does it move as our society becomes more and more comfortable with social media?
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Link Wars
I think about the links in articles on the Web, especially when I’m blogging. I purposefully put links in my writing and put them in for a reason. When I’m reading content, I click on a headline to read an article, then I am sent to another source of information, and maybe even another story. I may never make it back to the original content that I intended to read.