Streamline syllables with action words This just in, writes one of my favorite correspondents, sharing a sentence his subject matter expert has written: “ABC employees have problem solved their way to an XYZ Company Continuous Improvement success by purchasing a specifically designed storage cabinet to protect the life ring at the neutralization discharge … [Read more...] about Don’t commit verbicide
Archives for November 2011
Examples prove the rule
A pint of ‘for instance’ is worth a gallon of abstraction You could just say that in Cleopatra’s time, women had few legal rights. Or you could illustrate that point with an example, as Stacy Schiff does in Cleopatra: A Life: “[I]n a city where women enjoyed the same legal rights as infants or chickens, the posting called upon a whole new set of skills.” They may be the … [Read more...] about Examples prove the rule
Pass the 10-second test
The longer Web visitors stay, the longer they’ll stay Should I stay or should I go? That’s a question your Web visitors ask themselves every second they spend on your page. Now new research shows that if you can get your visitors to spend 10 seconds on your Web page, they’ll likely stay longer. And the longer they stay, writes usability expert Jakob Nielsen, the … [Read more...] about Pass the 10-second test
A little to the left
Location, location, location matters on Twitter Turns out there’s a place for everything on Twitter, too. Followers are more likely to click on links placed one-quarter of the way into your tweet than at the beginning or end, according to new research by Dan Zarrella. For his study, he used bit.ly API to analyze 200,000 random Tweets containing bit.ly links. … [Read more...] about A little to the left
Voice lessons
How to write in the brand voice Do your brand voice guidelines tell people what to write, but not how? Let me turn your voice guidelines into a series of writing techniques. I've helped Progressive Insurance, The Principal and other organizations realize their brand guidelines by transforming their "what-to's" into "how-to's." How may I help you? Let's talk! … [Read more...] about Voice lessons