Word choice, jargon and plain language in ICYMI, Sept. edition
You may or may not be on social media. Almost certainly, you aren’t seeing every interesting link that flashes past. So here are more links to helpful posts I’ve shared that you might have missed: Word choice “Don’t be mealy-mouthed about mortality,” says John...
New words are out (and pandemic ones finally slowing down)
If it’s September, it must be time to add to the growing number of words and definitions admitted to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Dictionaries like M-W chronicle “how the language grows and changes,” admitting new words as people use them in the same way over a...
Interpreting the ‘weasel words’ of a ‘business decision’ (Wordnerdery)
Two weeks after Bell Media and CTV announced that their Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor, Lisa LaFlamme, was leaving after 35 years, the uproar continues. It’s a dumpster fire set with weasel words and fanned by rumours of ageism, sexism and a toxic work...
Writing that’s awful, and sometimes awfully funny
As I note every year around this time, it takes real creativity to come up with truly awful writing. Yes, I’m talking about the winners of the over-the-top Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. This contest challenges entrants to come up with the opening sentence to the...
Writing tips you might have missed in ICYMI, August edition
There’s so much interesting and helpful information online, but social media channels are hectic. What are the chances you’ll be on Twitter or LinkedIn or whatever specific channel at the specific time someone shares that terrific post? Pretty slim. So,...
3 ways marketers can make birthdays special
When you were a kid, you probably loved birthdays. Cake and presents and being king or queen for the day made you feel special, didn’t they? These days, when you hand over your birth date to marketers, they have a chance to make you feel special, too. Of course,...
How well is the corporate world embracing DEI? (Wordnerdery)
Pride Month may be over, but the need for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at work is only getting stronger. Building on that idea, the theme for the June issue of the newsletter I edit for IABC/Toronto’s independent professionals was “pride and inclusion.”...
ICYMI, June edition: More writing tips, inclusion advice + other links you might have missed
Keeping up with the famous “firehose” of information on the internet is impossible at the best of times. During the summer? Even more unlikely. So once again, I’ve collected some of the helpful tips and fascinating reading encountered on the internet and shared on...