Posts tagged as:

Writing

Death to Bot Talk: Tips On Voice In Writing For The Web

by Jason Falls · January 26, 2012

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Suzanne Norman, director of brand at Emma, an email marketing and communications company.

The bot problem

Let’s face it: most companies write marketing copy for the web and email that reads like it was written by a robot.

And nobody likes bots. (See: spambots, twitbots, fembots, that 80s movie with Emilio Estevez where all the semi-trucks come to life.)

photo by davedehetre

I spot this kind of writing all the time in email marketing campaigns — that’s the realm I work in — but it’s just as rampant in every other digital medium.

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6 comments

7 Steps for Overcoming Writer’s Block (And Writing A Brilliant Blog )

by Mark Ivey · November 23, 2011

Don’t you hate writer’s block? You know you have brilliant ideas, but there’s that damn blank screen staring at you when you sit down to blog. Nothing happens. The brain’s in idle. Frustration begins to creep in. (Remember Jack Nicholson in The Shining?)

Many people struggle with writing. But I believe anyone can write and blog with the right approach. It’s not brain surgery, but it does take some work.

First, get over the idea that you have to write a blockbuster blog every time. We find in our training that many corporate bloggers are by nature analytical and perfectionists, which creates a lot of extra agony. It’s great to hit a home run, but mostly this is about hitting lots of singles and doubles.

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12 comments

How Social Media Makes You A Better Writer

by Stephanie Schwab · August 25, 2011

I’ve always considered myself a good writer. I got straight-As in high school English and literature classes, and have been writing a lot in nearly every one of my jobs since college. I can write anything for business: proposals, status reports, white papers, strategy documents, and anything else you can throw at me. It comes pretty easily, when I’m motivated; even when I’m not, writing is never a chore. I think I’m pretty good with grammar and spelling, and I know the difference between Sentence case and Title Case, among other writing fine points that many, many of my colleagues (even superiors) don’t really understand.

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18 comments

The Importance of Writing Well For Social Media Content

by Angela Maiers · May 2, 2011

There is no question that social media tools and platforms shape the way people, schools and businesses work, but social media has created a new form and route to channel information. In this new information age, for all its high-tech gadgetry, success is writing based.

Yet, there have been raised concerns over the fundamentals and quality of writing today. In the heart of the digital age, the concept of writing, especially to young adults, seems flat-out antiquated. Having grown up with laptops and iPads, many of them struggle to remember the last time they sat down with pen and paper; the last time “they wrote” in a traditional sense of the word.

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38 comments

Sometimes It’s Okay To Shut Up

by Jason Falls · October 7, 2009

I sat down to write a blog post one day last week and ran into a rare conundrum. I couldn’t think of a good topic. Luckily, writer’s block and I don’t know each other well. I’m a wordy bastard. It just comes naturally, I guess.

After thinking a bit about what I might draft in that fit of writer’s limbo, I decided I would jot down some notes on what to do when you have writer’s block. The one note I came up with was, “Sometimes, what you don’t write is as important as what you do.”

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30 comments

The Ethics, Or Lack Thereof, Of Ghost Blogging

by Jason Falls · August 21, 2009

Blogging for Cats
Image by Vicki’s Pics via Flickr

“What do you think about ghost blogging?”

It was a simple question from someone in the crowd for a recent talk I gave. I answered honestly, but carefully. It didn’t matter. I was essentially speaking to a room which included 10-20 people who currently get paid to blog for people or companies as those people or companies. Unless I said I have no problem with it, I was doomed.

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124 comments

Why Your Corporate Message Isn’t Being Heard

by Jason Falls · June 22, 2009

Jason Falls

Jason Falls

After a recent presentation, an audience member approached to compliment my talk. “You did a good job of taking what was a very complex subject to me and refining it into something I could understand.” I was flattered and satisfied that I had helped this woman grasp a topic that intimidated her.

As I thought about her statement, it occurred to me this is what professional communicators are charged with – refining complexities into meaningful data. It’s a shame that many of us lose sight of that.

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31 comments

The Writer’s Block Guide To Producing Compelling Content

by Jason Falls · April 25, 2008

It’s hard not to hear the phrase, “content is king,” when having a conversation with a social media thinker these days. Any brand, business or company asking questions about how to improve their website or better engage with their online communities should be hearing it over and over. Still, the vast majority of company and corporate websites out there remain static billboard-like online presences with a monthly front page rearrange or other minor addition the company misunderstands as producing fresh content.

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