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 13, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Tired of reading/hearing about all the layoffs, bankruptcies and other bad news filling the media these days? Do something! Here’s Michael Katz’s suggestion: spend your way to an economic boost for your own town. Michael is “Chief Penguin” (aka...
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 recent ski trip, the web site said it would take about two weeks...
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 | Mar 2, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
For your reading pleasure, more examples of clever writers getting a specific point across: “Guys like Bruce were as common as white socks sold in six packs at the Wal-Mart.” – Jennifer Weiner in Good in Bed “Abiding by the rules worked until...
by Sue Horner | Feb 26, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Here’s a new way to waste time practice your Scrabble(R) skills: Scrabble Zone, found at Merriam-Webster Online. You don’t actually connect the words the way you do on a Scrabble board, just make a word as fast as possible with the tiles given. Premium...
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...
