Follow up to improve customer service
My recent car-hunting experience made me think. Why don’t companies follow up? It all began when I brought my car in to the dealership for routine servicing. The service advisor called to say the mechanic had suggested some additional work, some of it fairly...
An easy way to avoid gobbledygook and jargon
(Updated July 31, 2018) If ever there was encouragement to stay away from the overused word “unique” (not to mention “very unique”), here it is. At least 48,095 news releases used it in 2008. (It’s less common in 2018, but don’t kid yourself; it’s still out there.)...Words that sent me to the dictionary
Some writers are known for sprinkling unusual words throughout their copy. It becomes their style or maybe a familiar quirk, but I do think it puts up a barrier between writer and reader. If you have to stop reading to go look up the word, doesn’t that break the...
Newsletters rock
In his Alertbox newsletter discussing how non-profit web sites can attract new donors (you’d think it would go without saying, but obviously not: it’s be clear about what you are trying to achieve, and tell potential donors how you are going to spend the...
More odd book titles in a quirky contest
This is such a great contest: The Diagram Prize’s Oddest Book Title of the Year. Its 2009 winner is The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-miligram Containers of Fromage Frais. I’m sure you are wondering, how could that possibly have beat out Baboon...
Use expressive language to make your point clear
Writing in an interesting, funny, thoughtful, expressive way helps your reader (or listener) clearly understand your point. Here are some recent examples I’ve run across: “By yearend, investors of all stripes were bloodied and confused, much as if they...Earth Hour boosts awareness
There is still debate about whether turning out the lights for Earth Hour makes a difference, but I think there’s no question. It’s done an amazing job of showing the power of individuals to make a difference. Nearly 4,000 cities were involved this year,...Everyone’s trying to be Twitter
Everyone is trying to be like the shiny new toy, Twitter. My Internet service provider, Bell Mail, has launched their new “enhanced” mail service, and it wants me to invite people to join my network and update them on what I’m doing. LinkedIn and...