by Sue Horner | Apr 30, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The search for an alternate way to say “man-hours” and “manhole covers” for an employee newsletter article (how about “work-hours” and “sewer covers”?) got me looking again at the whole issue of gender neutral (or gender fair) language. Some people scoff at even...
by Sue Horner | Apr 9, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
(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.)...
by Sue Horner | Apr 3, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
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...
by Sue Horner | Feb 14, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
This week, a Toronto newspaper ran a story with a headline containing a buzzword that is one of my most detested — “win-win” — so it’s obvious the battle against meaningless phrases must continue. On our side, we have sites that make fun...
by Sue Horner | Dec 18, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The quest to rid employee communications of buzzwords and management-speak can never rest, so it’s always encouraging to find support. Of course, it’s unlikely those who speak in “methodologies” and “strategic imperatives” will read...
by Sue Horner | Nov 9, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
A smart reminder from Jakob Nielsen: “…the best way to boost your productivity is to switch off IM, Twitter and the like and refrain from checking your email more than once per hour. Even the shortest interruption costs you several minutes of productivity...
by Sue Horner | Aug 19, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
You claim you’re trying to quit. You sneak off to furtively indulge in just one more. You check your pockets often to make sure you have your secret vice with you. In the old days (the Dark Ages, as my kids would say), you’d be a smoker. These days, you’ve...
by Sue Horner | Mar 30, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I’ve been playing with the grammar function in Word after a reminder from the Publication Coach, Daphne Gray-Grant. By paying attention to things like words per sentence (aim for an average of 14 or less), passive sentences (no more than 10%) and Flesch-Kincaid...
by Sue Horner | Mar 18, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While proofreading a client’s newsletter, I flagged this: A person quoted in an article about the switch of IT support to a call centre in India calls the staff “a well-trained, highly incented and duly rewarded group of employees.” UGH! I understand...
by Sue Horner | Nov 27, 2007 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Spot quiz: Is the American holiday in February: a) President’s Day b) Presidents’ Day c) Presidents Day? Surprise! The answer seems to be (d), all of the above. While editing a client’s calendar, which included reference to both Canadian and American...
