by Sue Horner | May 22, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Our basement was crowded with toys, games, puzzles, children’s books and more, the result of two sons, two sets of grandparents, multiple doting aunts and uncles, hand-me-downs from a dozen cousins, birthdays, Christmases and a house of people who keep...
by Sue Horner | May 15, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Have you ever heard a song, smelled a perfume or tasted food that instantly transported you to another place and time? I had that experience while having lunch the other day with my mom and two sons at the Mandarin restaurant, our after-Mother’s Day treat. The...
by Sue Horner | May 4, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Have you noticed the use of somewhat dated phrases in modern copy? While they are interesting, I wonder if the reader’s eyes just skip right over the words without registering them. Here are a few examples: “Above the fold” when referring to a web...
by Sue Horner | Apr 30, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The search for an alternate way to say “man-hours” and “manhole covers” for an employee newsletter article (how about “work-hours” and “sewer covers”?) got me looking again at the whole issue of gender neutral (or gender fair) language. Some people scoff at even...
by Sue Horner | Apr 15, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
My recent car-hunting experience made me think. Why don’t companies follow up? It all began when I brought my car in to the dealership for routine servicing. The service advisor called to say the mechanic had suggested some additional work, some of it fairly...
by Sue Horner | Apr 9, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
(Updated July 31, 2018) If ever there was encouragement to stay away from the overused word “unique” (not to mention “very unique”), here it is. At least 48,095 news releases used it in 2008. (It’s less common in 2018, but don’t kid yourself; it’s still out there.)...
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...
