by Sue Horner | Jan 12, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
You can’t argue with the Publication Coach, Daphne Grey-Grant, when she encourages writers to use metaphors. “They add interest, colour and power to your writing,” she says. “As readers, we all do better when we can visualize something concrete.” I keep a file...
by Sue Horner | Jan 8, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
If all your money was invested in the stock market, you’d be feeling pretty nervous when prices start dropping. That’s why financial advisors suggest you diversify — mix it up between stocks, bonds, guaranteed investment certificates and other products with...
by Sue Horner | Jan 6, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
You knew it, and usability expert Jakob Nielsen confirms it: we’re drowning in irrelevant information, squandering an hour or more each day simply dealing with email and other distractions. So if you haven’t picked a new year’s resolution yet,...
by Sue Horner | Jan 1, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Happy new year! Word nerds enjoy this time of year, when various dictionaries and other authorities name top and top 10 words: Merriam-Webster lists bailout as the word of the year for 2008 after it received the highest intensity of lookups on Merriam-Webster Online....
by Sue Horner | Dec 24, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Did you know that Santa’s blogging this year, and he’s planning to podcast next year? Dave Fleet, who listed what he’d do if he were Santa’s PR guy, directed me to Santa’s blog. Sadly, the blog is no longer live, but the list of 100...
by Sue Horner | Dec 18, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The quest to rid employee communications of buzzwords and management-speak can never rest, so it’s always encouraging to find support. Of course, it’s unlikely those who speak in “methodologies” and “strategic imperatives” will read...
by Sue Horner | Nov 27, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
My husband and I were talking recently about how when we first started looking for work, my friends and I really didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about what we wanted. The pattern seemed to be this: apply for all kinds of jobs; take the first one offered to...
by Sue Horner | Nov 24, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While Jake and I were out walking the other day, a bird crapped on my head. I’ve heard it’s good luck and maybe that’s true. In my mail that day was payment of an invoice that had been outstanding for months. In my e-mail, promise of more money....
by Sue Horner | Nov 19, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Christmas catalogues are landing in the mailbox about as fast as the two maple trees next door dropped all their leaves last week. Today’s specimen: Lee Valley Tools. The company is based in Ottawa, but they have a dozen locations across Canada and a thriving...
by Sue Horner | Nov 12, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
November is Crohn’s and colitis awareness month, or as the Crohn’s & Colitis Canada used to call it, “Get Gutsy Month.” So this is my public awareness message for an autoimmune disorder that hits not just close to home but also right...
