Yearly Archives: 2005

Good writing demands clear thinking. In my experience as a journalist, copywriter and technical writer, I’ve learned that it’s impossible to write about something unless you know it inside and out, forward and backward. I’m not talking about writing stories, screenplays or poetry. I’m talking about business writing — writing to inform, explain, persuade, motivate […]

They don’t use them themselves, mind you. But about 59% of CEOs surveyed said they think blogs can be useful for internal communications. Another 47% think they’re useful for communicating with external audiences, according to a study conducted by PRWeek and Burson-Marsteller. Only 7% of the 131 CEOs surveyed are actually blogging themselves, and only […]

Ads for prescription medicines litter the evening news, magazines, newspapers. Their distinctive prose, delicately skirting FDA rules and regulations, are often so ludicrous they practically beg for a good parody. Now it’s here, under the heading “Panexa: Ask your doctor for a reason to take it.” As the spoof explains, the fictitious drug is only […]

Gina Trapani of Lifehacker fame has posted an excellent guide to writing Web content. It’s very different from writing for print or broadcast. Among her best points: Use explicit titles and subject lines. Write a strong lead. Get right to the point immediately Use frequent paragraph breaks. (I’d put it this way: Keep paragraphs short. […]

Writing a compelling cover letter for your resume is a lot like selling products and services. You need to be colorful, specific, and focus on what the reader needs and wants. A business owner who is hiring recently posted some tips on Craigslist for how to write a hot cover letter. His tips sound a […]

So says USA Today, anyway. Home parties are swinging again with products as eclectic as home décor and as common as crayons. Customers are flocking to those gatherings for the personal touch and service they afford. The Direct Selling Association says 74% of us have purchased something via direct selling. Sales, almost all of it […]

Newspapers are hurting soooo bad, in both readership and revenues. Craigslist is killing their classified revenues, and if that wasn’t bad enough, it now looks certain that Google is getting into the act. Classified Intelligence reports that “Google is aggressively moving to include classifieds listings in its organic search results,” requesting direct feeds of listings […]