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How Marketing Tells the Truth to Make You Think a Lie
There are laws about what manufacturers say on their labels – they cannot lie. They can, however, format the truth in a way that leads you to think it says something else. Sort of “marketing truth.” Prime example, my body wash. I’m not complaining about the body wash. I’m not even complaining about what the…
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People Judge, Is Your Writing as Smart as You Are?
Our parents try to raise us right. They tell us to be kind, smiles will get us further than frowns, and that we shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Then we have real life where you really do not have a second chance to make a first impression and people form their first impression…
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Writing with Chocolate
(NOTE: This title is not SEO friendly, heck the entire format of this blog is not SEO friendly. If you enjoy this installment of what’s going on in my brain, I hope you’ll share it with your friends.) I’ve got a monster list of blog topics and I’m ignoring all of them in favor of…
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Emphasis on the Wrong Syllable, English is Weird or am I Just Saying it Wrong?
Have you ever looked at a word, pronounced it in your head, and then not know what everyone else is talking about? You are probably suffering from Emphasis on the Wrong Syllable syndrome (pronounced Em-Fā-Siss on the Wrong Sa-Lab-El). My best personal example is Appomattox. I walked into US History class one day and that…
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My Desire to Please Google Decreases the More I Learn About How to Please Google
I love Google. Absolutely, no doubt, when looking for an answer, I start with Google. However, if I want to be the answer Google gives to other people (thus, I please Google), I’m not so much of a fan. Good thing having Google find me is not high on my priority list. There seems to…
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Excite Your Senses: Take a Walk Through the Thesaurus
Scratching my head, trying to come up with a blog idea, I went to Evernote to check out some of my random blog ideas, and I came across a link to 204 Words to Describe Colours (the article is out of South Africa, they spell like the British). Then I hit the links for taste…
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Word Rant: Percent
Language evolves. Words change meaning – sometimes to the opposite of the original definition. I get this, sometimes I encourage it, sometimes I don’t. However, there are some incorrectly used words that evolution will never fix. Today’s rant is around the use of the word “percent.” Simply put, percent means “of 100.” It is another…
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What Is the Point of Alternative Text?
Honestly, I have very little clue as to what makes alternative text is so important. However, the clue I do have is enough to make me enter some for my blog post and newsletter pictures. Alternative Text? If you post photos on your website or include them in your newsletter, it is very likely that…
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How Do They Know I Opened It?
Do you wonder how companies know that you opened their email? More to the point, if you’re sending marketing emails (that’s anything you send with an unsubscribe option), how does your sending application know that someone opened said email? They don’t. If you are now thinking, “But, but, but the open report!” You are in…
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How to Make Your Old Content New
Are you feeling stuck trying to come up with new blog topics? Why not update some of your old ones? Updating already published blogs does several things for you: Creates a “new” post without any new ideas. Gives you SEO juice without too much effort. Makes you look informed, up to date, and on top…