In A Word (or Two)

Bits and Tips about writing in general, especially writing for the internet.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Spit it out! Literally speaking

One trend that seems to be more prevalent in website content lately is the tendency to phrase things poorly. Especially, to add many more words than are needed to express a thought.

And I won't name the guilty party involved, not only because I don't know him, but mostly because I find the same type of awkward wording creeping into my own work. The other day, when I was trying to say, "this type of link" it somehow came out as, "the type of link you want to look at,"... There have been numerous examples. . .

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Sunday, June 18, 2006

Check YOURSELF

Recently I was contacted by a submission site because they rejected an article I wrote. Okay. It happens. (Dare I say?) Even to me. I only say that because I work very hard to produce professional, thought-provoking and, most of all, informative articles. But, hey, it happens to the best of us. . .

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Friday, June 16, 2006

Categorical Inspiration

A great, everyday resource for article ideas is to look through the categories of the article submission sites. Not only would it solve the problem of the author who creates an article, then struggles to fit it into one of the pre-existing categories, these categories can actually become a source of inspiration. . .

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Friday, June 09, 2006

Pencils Work

A while back I mentioned to a colleague that I do a lot of my writing in the early morning. Soon after, I began finding IM messages on my computer that coincided with the time I was writing. It didn't bother me. Because, in those early morning sessions, I don't write on my computer. Funny. I guess he assumed I did.

Well, between that elephant-sized hint and the title of this diatribe, I'm sure most have guessed that, yes, I often write by hand, if only the first draft. Now, I haven't told this colleague that little detail. I wasn't deliberately trying to mislead him. I just hadn't thought about it. It's been that long.

(Full Article)

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Words

One reason I called this blog "In a Word" is because that's how fast someone can judge an author and his website when even just ONE wrong word is used. Sad, but true. (Full Article)

Thursday, May 11, 2006

On Semantics

When working online, sometimes success depends on being able to read "between the lines" as the saying goes.

In fact, online marketing has developed its rather poor reputation because of some slick advertising that deliberately allows the reader to become confused. A case in point is the classic: "Join Now and Start Earning Your Income Online." My, but that's misleading. Because, what it appears to say is that, by joining now, you'll begin to RECEIVE an income today. But what it really says is, "join now and start the long, slow process of building up an online business."

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Thursday, May 04, 2006

What's the "Buzz" on "Pre-Launches?"

While both of these phrases were around prior to 2006, they have suddenly burst from the pact -- both as phrases and marketing trends -- and threaten to drown most of us with their repetition and over-use.

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