This got a lot of attention, all right — but the wrong kind.
Author Archives: Tom McKay
Free samples: Why even rock stars give them away
Harry Connick Jr. was on Imus in the Morning on MSNBC this morning (1/31/07), promoting his terrific new CD, Oh, My Nola — and not coincidentally, to plug his upcoming nationwide tour. A few days ago, the country group Big & Rich appeared on Imus. Why? Why are top artists so willing to appear on […]
When in doubt, cut it out.
Fat is disgusting — especially in your memos, sales letters, or any other kind of business writing. Here’s how you can tone up your business writing instantly: Just trim the fat. Prune any words that are unnecessary. They weaken your writing and dilute your message. Good writing is lean and strong. It gets right to […]
Three reasons why your e-mails are misunderstood
E-mail is a great, even essential, way to attract customers and communicate with employees, vendors and partners. But as I said in yesterday’s post e-mail can be dangerous when you’re angry, upset or even just trying to be funny. Why? E-mail is simply not very good at conveying the emotions behind your message — so […]
Angry e-mails? Put them in your notebook instead.
Don’t write e-mails when you’re angry, suggests AOL Consumer Adviser Regina Lewis (link). Count to ten and clear your head before firing off an angry response. This is especially true when dealing with customers, but it can be just as risky with coworkers and bosses. That’s a great policy, but it doesn’t really help you […]
Business jargon baffles and alienates
Needless jargon in the workplace baffles and alienates your employees, according to a new study. It even makes some employees think you’re trying to hide something. A survey of Scottish workers found that more than half were fed up with bosses using management jargon. Two-thirds preferred no jargon at all. Link. I often rant about […]
D*lbert and obscenity
Dilbert creator Scott Adams has a blog, of course. I mean, who doesn’t? But unlike most blogs, his is both funny and thought-provoking. The other day Adams mused about the most obscene letter in the alphabet. He figures it must be the asterisk, “since it appears in almost every naughty word you see in print.” […]