A class in context using Oscar viewers; all about numbers in March Wordnerdery
Were you among the 19.5 million viewers who tuned in to this year’s Academy Awards (21.9 million in its last half hour)? If so, you may be wondering if that number is a lot, or a little. Were we a large group of trendsetters watching Oppenheimer walk away with Best...
More tips for diversity and inclusion in links you might have missed
“Click here.” That’s a classic example of anchor text or hyperlink text done wrong. (Anchor text is a clickable link on a website, usually highlighted and underlined.) That’s because people want to know where a link is going to take them. Also, people who are visually...
More marvellous metaphors (like a ‘turtle Fitbit’) in February Wordnerdery
Do you want to explain something, make a point or spark that “aha” moment? Reach for a metaphor, which shows how two things are alike without using “like” or “as.” A metaphor gives people a shortcut to understanding new, complex or conceptual info, says writing...
It’s plain: You don’t need ‘stripes’ to show different ‘kinds’
Have you ever noticed that suddenly everyone seems to be using a particular word or phrase? “Upskilling” is having a moment, unfortunately. “Overarching” has staying power, also unfortunately. But the one I keep running into lately is “[people]...
Helpful tips for plain language in links you might have missed
I’m always on the lookout for examples of good and bad writing, and you’ll find plenty out in the world. Here are some of the articles recently shared online, all related to plain language and getting rid of jargon and lawyer-speak. Plain language is all about helping...
Making sense of long sentences; a ‘Before & After’ in January Wordnerdery
Have you ever started reading something, and had to stop because you lost your way in a long, meandering sentence? That’s what happened to me while reading an article in the Entertainment section of my local newspaper. The opening sentence rang in at 49 words....
AI and hallucinate top the 2023 Words of the Year
Surprise! Artificial Intelligence (AI) dominated the range of important things, events, people and preoccupations we talked about in 2023. An article about ChatGPT led Wikipedia’s most-viewed entries and Google search data also showed plenty of hunts for AI and...
Top 10 posts in the Red Jacket Diaries in 2023
Somehow, December got away from me (you too?). So I missed my annual tradition of collecting the top 10 most-viewed posts on my blog. Here they are! 1. Is this the year you get certified as a Communication Management Professional (CMP) or Strategic Communication...