Erika Napoletano is someone I stumbled upon a few years ago – don’t ask me how, I have no clue. I subscribe to her blog – I don’t read it often, but they all still live in my inbox. I love her work because she talks straight, thinks along the same lines I do, and… Continue Reading
Making the World More Understandable
Going Too Far with Gender Neutrality
When being specific could be wrong, when referring to a person of unknown gender, it is better to be general than specific. And, job positions ought to be neutral. Male or female, someone is a server or a flight attendant. However, I believe people are taking gender neutrality too far. The idea for this blog… Continue Reading
There’s More to Learning than Meets the Eye
I read a very interesting article, Paper beats computer screens, which validated my decision to not get an e-reader a few years ago. Apparently, comprehension and assimilation of text on a screen is not as good as for text on paper. Citing a Norwegian study of 10th graders as well as some supporting science out… Continue Reading
Business Blog Topics
Whenever I talk to business owners about blogging I’m most likely going to hear, “but what would I talk about?” So many people still think of blogs as on-line diary entries filled with details that no one else really cares about. Or, very few people care about the details and most of the rest of… Continue Reading
Writing, Editing & Word Smithing
I recently let my sister rant about the term Value Proposition and why it annoys her. And a very good rant it was. I try to allow my sister her opinions (like I have a choice) and yet, I must defend the term “wordsmith.” Jen defined “word-smithing” as editing. There’s actually more to it. Dictionary.com… Continue Reading
What’s Your Value Proposition? – Guest Blog
Value (noun): Estimated or assigned worth; valuation Proposition (noun): a thing, matter, or person considered as something to be dealt with or encountered I am frequently the gate keeper between my employer and outside sales people. As such, I hear many sales pitches about how fantastic this widget is versus another widget. One term that… Continue Reading
Words that Bug Me: Irony
I have previously ranted – and will rant again, I am sure – about words because I feel they are misused or I do not care for their meaning. “Irony,” however, does not fit into either of their categories. Instead, “irony” bugs me because I don’t get it. Occasionally, I know an example of it,… Continue Reading
Is it Really Redundant?
I was reading an article on dailywritingtips.com called Let the Word Do the Work about redundancy. The author, Maeve Maddox, does a great job making her point with examples of the more common redundancies we run into – such as “free gift”– as well as some more subtle examples, like “maroon-colored.” (Only when someone could… Continue Reading
The Culture of Writing
Especially for larger software companies, documentation is something management easily outsources. The problem with outsourcing writing is that the culture of the writer and the culture of the reader frequently don’t match. The truth of the matter is that most Americans only go to the documentation when they are stuck beyond all reason. At that… Continue Reading
Chocolate as a Health Food – Writer Revamped
I originally wrote this when I was focusing on chocolate direct sales. Yet, it really is a better example of why I’m better at Explanatory Writing. Before I get started, some disclaimers: I am not, nor do I want to be, a health, fitness, or nutritional expert. However, I will read articles written by those… Continue Reading