10 ways to spot a word nerd
Happy New Year, and Happy Word Nerd Day! You know you are a word nerd when… You receive a word-a-day calendar for Christmas (featured today is Occam’s razor, “a scientific or philosophical rule that favors the simplest explanation”). Your Christmas gifts also...
Don’t weaponize that toxic misinformation
Toxic. Misinformation. Justice. Weaponize. Do these words capture the mood of your 2018? They do for many people, according to the various dictionaries and online sources that track the topics we search for online. Here are the Words of the Year for 2018 that caught...
The top 10 posts in the Red Jacket Diaries in 2018
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,...
Life is short (a Christmas tale in Wordnerdery)
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...
7 words more people should look up
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...
The cadence of jargon continues to annoy
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”...
Find your way by taking the strategic path
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...
Wordnerdery: Look for words that count people in
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...