How to bury negative search results
(Updated Oct. 3, 3018) Ouch. You Googled yourself and found false and nasty comments about you coming up on page one of search results. You need to take action. If someone has taken the time to smear your reputation, they are unlikely to respond to a polite request to...The ABCs of SEO (event recap in tweets)
(Updated April 30, 2018) If you run a small business, you want to be found for both your company name and the products or services you offer. At a meeting of IABC/Toronto’s Professional Independent Communicators this week, speaker Ray Litvak shared some tips for doing...
Networking tips for comms/PR students and new grads
(Updated Oct. 12, 2022) The fall is as much a time of new beginnings as New Year’s. If you’re a PR or communication student, your new beginnings probably include building your network and launching your career. You can do both by making the most of your professional...
Avoid confusion by keeping it simple
“What does eponymous mean?” I’m usually your go-to gal for the meaning of words, but this one stopped me. I knew I should be able to explain the meaning, but the question sent me to the dictionary. Good for you if you know “eponymous” is an adjective relating to the...
Wordnerdery: Do’s and don’ts for captions that hook your reader
Words are my business, but I realize that a stunning photo or clever infographic can often make a point faster than plain text. The August issue of my monthly newsletter, Wordnerdery, shares tips for writing effective captions (also called cutlines) that hook readers...
Focus on content, not sender, for employee e-newsletters
What’s the best practice for sending an internal newsletter – from the CEO, “Internal Communications,” the head of the Communications department or someone else? That was a question that came up this week. I don’t know of any definitive best practices related to who...
Train your brain to be happier by being grateful
Do you have a positive outlook on life? I usually do (against all odds, you might say), but had never kept a daily journal of positive thoughts until 2014. For my birthday that year, my friend Sheila gave me a blank journal entitled, “Your story isn’t over yet.” It...
Leads like flashlights and more great quotes about writing
While collecting bits of expressive writing, I also write down words of wisdom about writing itself. Here are a few examples: “John McPhee calls the lead the flashlight that shines down into the story.” – Roy Peter Clark “Ledes are like Japanese haiku. They have to...