Browsing Category: "blogging"
Holiday blogging hiatus
blogging, effective communication, web copy, writing November 30th, 2009
December is shaping up to be a busy month both personally and professionally so I’m taking my usual holiday blogging hiatus, albeit a little early.
But honestly, I’m also assessing the long-term value of this blog for you — and for me. I’ll be back in January with new content or a new blogging strategy.
Until then, there’s lots of great content within my previous posts. And, I’m still microblogging regularly on Twitter so follow me for quick-hit ideas that can instantly improve your writing and communication.
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Taking a short-term blogging vacation.
blogging October 27th, 2009
I love blogging, sharing ideas and teaching people something that’s new to them. It’s one of the reasons I love holding my 1/2-day writing workshops. I get to see people learn and re-learn great copy techniques.
For weeks now, I’ve been super busy with tons of exciting client engagements. (Yippee!) And in spite of my jam-packed schedule, I can’t help but mull blog ideas over in my head. Unfortunately, there’s simply not enough time to capture them on paper. I spend anywhere from 20 minutes (rarely) to an hour (typical) or more (often) on my blog posts. But even 20 minutes is tough to come by these days.
And I don’t want to short-change you, dear readers, on content.
Which is why I’m ‘fessing up here. I wanna blog and share great copy ideas. I just can’t right now.
Ouch. It hurts to say that. But I simply cannot give you my best with my current schedule. It will change.
But until then, please forgive me while I take a short hiatus. While you’re waiting, please feel free to visit my archives or shoot me a question that could become a future post.
P.S. I’m still microblogging on Twitter most work days so follow me for some quick-hit ideas that can instantly improve your writing and communication.
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Use Twitter to practice writing more concisely
blogging, content, effective communication, social media February 25th, 2009
Ever been to a party and been trapped by a non-stop talker? Those standing monologues (especially the ones by complete and total strangers) are annoying at best and a buzzkill at worst.
Droning on and on without engaging in any kind give-and-take dialogue is absolutely awful for the person on the receiving end.
That’s what I like so much about Twitter. The microblogging site lets you “talk” but forces you to do so in short snippets of 140 characters or less.
I recently conducted an informal survey of people who follow me and found that most think using Twitter has helping them communicate more concisely (and hence effectively).
Now, mind you, long prose certainly has it’s place. But in business writing I see so much extraneous copy that it drowns the core message. Get to the core message quickly. Put it first. Your reader will thank you and be more likely to take the appropriate action.
If you’re not on Twitter, sign up for a free account. Follow a few people (me included) and start paring down your dialogue. I promise you’ll be the life of the next party you go to.
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Why do corporate blogs rank last?
blogging, marketing December 17th, 2008
The answer is simple. Irrelevancy.
Self-serving blog posts (and other types of internally focused interactive content for that matter) do nothing to engage and inspire.
Now I’m not saying that corporate bloggers can’t talk about themselves at all; I’m simply saying that when they do talk about themselves or their products, they must do it in a way that’s real, transparent and relevant to their readers. Only then can they build relationship and boost credibility.
Read this AdWeek article for a recap of a Forrester Research study that found less than 20 percent of consumers trust corporate blogs, then share your thoughts here.