by Sue Horner | Dec 27, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
As 2018 comes to a close, I have one last post for the Red Jacket Diaries: The top 10 most popular posts this year, as revealed by Google Analytics. The posts fall into a range of categories. For example, readers seem to appreciate when I summarize interesting events,...
by Sue Horner | Dec 19, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
This last month of the year – when many of us are getting ready for family gatherings, yet others lose or are estranged from loved ones – maybe you are reminded, as I am, that life is short. My own preparations for Christmas always bring to mind a tradition that...
by Sue Horner | Dec 13, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The word nerd in me loves the idea of trending words. I love that people want to know the meaning of a word, and take the time to look it up. News events, celebrities, politics and sports often drive a sudden spike in people looking up a specific word. Trends this...
by Sue Horner | Dec 6, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Jargon has welcomed some new members to the fold this year. Or maybe it’s been happening longer, but I’ve been running into fresh examples over the past few months. Either way, I’m hopping on my Grouch Train. You know I’ve had issues with the phrase “like a boss”...
by Sue Horner | Nov 29, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Communicators have a path to choose, says Dan Tisch, APR, CPRS Fellow and president and CEO of Argyle Public Relationships. Are we going to be tacticians or strategists? At a professional development session hosted by IABC/Toronto and its Professional Independent...
by Sue Horner | Nov 22, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
A post about looking for a gender-neutral option for man-hours is one of the most-read on this blog, according to the analytics. (Long story short, person-hours is an acceptable substitute; also try work-hours or staff-hours.) Increasingly, people are looking for...
by Sue Horner | Nov 15, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
We’re barely past Halloween and U.S. Thanksgiving is on the doorstep. My husband just cheerfully informed me that we have less than six weeks until Christmas and someone has already wished me a Merry Christmas. Of course I haven’t started my shopping yet, but I have...
by Sue Horner | Nov 8, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Hot on the heels of this month’s midterm elections in the United States (no, I’m not going there) is voting of a different sort. I’m talking about choosing the Word of the Year. The big names like the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster wait until late...
by Sue Horner | Nov 1, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
At my local bank this week, signs alerted me that they’re “making changes” to some of their plans and fees. You’d be right to assume that some of those changes are increases. Overdraft protection goes up by $1 per month, and a monthly fee is no longer waived with a...
by Sue Horner | Oct 24, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The Guardian’s Alex Hern forced himself to read all the terms and conditions he encountered in one week. In that time, he collected 146,000 words of legalese in 33 documents. It was, he said, “enough to fill three quarters of Moby Dick, just to explain what I can and...
