by Sue Horner | Apr 3, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
In his Alertbox newsletter discussing how non-profit web sites can attract new donors (you’d think it would go without saying, but obviously not: it’s be clear about what you are trying to achieve, and tell potential donors how you are going to spend the...
by Sue Horner | Mar 31, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
This is such a great contest: The Diagram Prize’s Oddest Book Title of the Year. Its 2009 winner is The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-miligram Containers of Fromage Frais. I’m sure you are wondering, how could that possibly have beat out Baboon...
by Sue Horner | Mar 30, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Writing in an interesting, funny, thoughtful, expressive way helps your reader (or listener) clearly understand your point. Here are some recent examples I’ve run across: “By yearend, investors of all stripes were bloodied and confused, much as if they...
by Sue Horner | Mar 22, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Car sales representatives have a reputation that’s hard to shake. There are exceptions, of course, but would you generally link them with words like “honest,” “trustworthy” and “working for me”? I didn’t think so. They...
by Sue Horner | Mar 16, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Here’s a rare sight: a television ad that makes you smile, and you don’t even mind when it repeats several times during the show you’re watching. I’m talking about the Discovery Channel’s “I love the world” ad, sometimes known...
by Sue Horner | Mar 12, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Have you noticed that companies seem to be deliberately managing our expectations downwards? I’ve run across this a couple of times lately : When I traded in loyalty points for lift tickets for a ski trip, the web site said it would take about two weeks to get...
by Sue Horner | Mar 9, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Happy birthday to Barbie, who turned 50 today. Talk about a toy with legs! Whether 50 is the new 40 or 50 is the new 30, she sure looks good. And she’s got all kinds of “dream” things — dream bedroom, dream dining room, dream kitchen, dream...
by Sue Horner | Mar 4, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
“There are huge problems in this world, and then there are problems that can be solved by everyday people with red pens and a little moxie.” So says the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, which has proclaimed today National Grammar Day. Not...
by Sue Horner | Feb 23, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Could you do without your computer and your online life for a week? It’s an experiment I conducted last week, after dropping off my laptop for repairs and going skiing at Mont Tremblant, Quebec. My main clients knew I was away and all my projects were up to...
by Sue Horner | Feb 14, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
This week, a Toronto newspaper ran a story with a headline containing a buzzword that is one of my most detested — “win-win” — so it’s obvious the battle against meaningless phrases must continue. On our side, we have sites that make fun...
