So, turns out there are more than one of us: The Write Blog -- by Jeffrey Berman. Great info about the writing business and lots of great interviews with scriptwriters. Do you have a Write Blog? Tell us about it!...
December 1, 2009 READ MORE
So, turns out there are more than one of us: The Write Blog -- by Jeffrey Berman. Great info about the writing business and lots of great interviews with scriptwriters. Do you have a Write Blog? Tell us about it!...
December 1, 2009 READ MORE
New Words for 2009: “Frenemy,” “Staycation” and “Green-Collar”
Okay, so if you’re like me (read: if you’re a big word geek), you kind of look forward to finding out which of this year’s “it” terms make the transition from blogs and pop culture to bona fide dictionary entries. Merriam-Webster just released their list of words that will be included in the updated 2009 edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Her...
November 25, 2009 READ MORE
Today, one of our most grammar-savvy clients emailed us with a question. She asked: If a sentence says, ‘A policy (that/which) protects the merchant against penalties... ’ should you use 'that' or 'which'? And why? I wasn’t 100 percent sure I knew the right answer. I was pretty sure. Mostly sure. But not totally sure. And, truthfully, I couldn’t have explained my...
November 19, 2009 READ MORE
Your Paycheck vs. Your Conscience: Should you Turn Down Unethical Projects?
You’ve probably seen those documentary-style anti-tobacco ads – the ones where a slick and smiling executive grills a series of job applicants about their qualifications. The questions start innocently enough – there’s usually a discussion about the applicant’s previous advertising work or basic office skills like typing or filing -- and then the interview takes ...
November 9, 2009 READ MORE
Stay in Focus: Remembering Your Audience and Message
When you’re in the middle of a copywriting job, there’s an age-old marketing maxim that can be hard to remember – and it can sometimes be hard to convey to clients: You can’t be all things to all people. Good copy does two things: It speaks to a specific, targeted audience AND it has a specific, focused message. The two go hand in hand. If you try to talk to sever...
November 1, 2009 READ MORE
Twitter has apparently been down since about 04:53:18 US Eastern Time, and it's amazing how riled people can get about a FREE service being down. Some people are calling their service providers to make sure that Twitter hasn't been inadvertently blocked! Hey, I love Twitter, but I'm not ready to deal with an hour on tech support with my Internet provider, until I'm sure i...
October 18, 2009 READ MORE
Ok, so he doesn't rap about writing, but he raps about SEO, which is, of course, related to SEO content and website writing. So, if you want to get your site ranking in search engines, check this out. It's the SEO rapper, and he actually has some pretty good tips on SEO coding....
October 16, 2009 READ MORE
How to Write 50,000 Words in 30 Days, Make New Friends, and Squash Writer’s Block
Image via Wikipedia Dust off your laptops, start doing some preliminary research, and clear your schedule for November: The beginning of next month marks the 10th anniversary of National Novel Writing Month. Here’s the deal. Anyone can participate (you just need to register on the NaNoWriMo site). Writing begins Novembers 1st and ends November 30th at midnight. The o...
October 16, 2009 READ MORE
How Releasing Your Copyright = Free Marketing
Every time we write, draw, paint, photograph, sketch, etc. something, we want to claim it as ours. Shout it from the rooftops, let everyone know: This is mine. I did this. Copyright has always been the legal protection for writers, artists, thinkers, developers, photographers, etc., to protect their ideas from being stolen and reproduced. Now introduce the Internet. Sudde...
October 8, 2009 READ MORE
Starbucks’ New Instant Coffee Ad: Love it or Hate it?
In an earlier blog post, I cautioned against ad campaigns that were too trendy or topical, but Starbucks’ new “Via” TV ad is an edgy, hilarious example of why it’s sometimes okay to buck convention. In addition to promoting their new instant coffee, Starbucks takes on a touchy (and waaaay timely) subject: town hall meetings. If you haven’t seen it, you can check...
October 5, 2009 READ MORE