The Gordon Group, LLC » Copywriting

It’s okay if you’re disinterested… (That may not mean what you think it does!)

Nancy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:42:27 +0000

I know it may seem like an odd hobby, but–for me–finding lists on the Web or in trade/specialty publications of misused words and terms is something I love to see. So, here’s PR Daily‘s list of “10 Words That Might Not Mean What you Think They Do,” which includes the real meaning of “disinterested.” It’s actually not the uncaring, uninterested insult many people think it is. It merely means “neutral, unbiased.” Aside from the legal implications of disinterested parties, sometimes we all need someone who is disinterested to provide some objective input!

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/10698.aspx

Test Your Vocabulary Mettle With Merriam-Webster Name That Thing Quizzes!

Nancy — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:12:28 +0000

Have a bit of fun vocabulary testing (or learning, as the case may be!) with Merriam-Webster’s free Name That Thing quizzes! http://www.merriam-webster.com/namethatthing/index.htm#quiz-top

The top 25 grammar and language mistakes from PR Daily… something to pique (not peak!) your interest!

Nancy — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:22:25 +0000

Start the new year right with better communications. Check out PR Daily’s list of the top 25 grammar and language mistakes to be sure you’re not committing any of those infractions! http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/10475.aspx

15 Words That Make Writers Swoon (From PR Daily)

Nancy — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:08:36 +0000

Some of my favorite words ended up on this list of 15 “Unusual Words That Make Writers Swoon” featured in this PR Daily piece: (You can click the post title for the article link…)

From PR Daily: Put that jargon to good use: play “Word Quest”!

Nancy — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:10:55 +0000

From PR Daily: Put that jargon to good use: play “Word Quest” in your next meeting! http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9866.aspx

Of course, it’s generally best to AVOID using jargon when talking to people outside your specialty area, but this lets you have some fun with it when you’re not at risk of making your listener (or reader) feel uninformed!

SOCIAL MEDIA AS A PR TOOL…

Nancy — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:30:47 +0000

There are some interesting insights that apply not only to journalists but also to corporate communicators in this post found today at www.edit30.com. The piece cites “Texas Watchdog writer and blogger” Lynn Walsh’s guidelines for coaching journalists on how to use social media in developing news stories then states that the guidelines have a mirror image that is valuable for communications professionals looking the other direction, pitching the media. (If the link no longer goes straight to the post, you can likely use the search box to access it by typing in the name SOCIAL MEDIA AS A PR TOOL.)

7 Takeaways on Strategy, Creativity, and Innovation from 2011 TED~With thoughts on getting “creatively crazy”

Nancy — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:20:02 +0000

Just came across this piece from Mike Brown @brainzooming on from 2011 TED #TEDxKC 7 Takeaways on Strategy, Creativity, and Innovation

One takeaway concept of particular interest is that: “Imagination, the interplay between logic and intuition, and the ability to formulate a hypothetical world view are vital to discovery” especially in context with the item Brown cites just after, which helps explain why we may be more creative or free to express sometimes outside-the-lines ideas more than we might in other situations: “Aaron O’Connell pointed out we behave differently when we’re in an elevator by ourselves vs. when someone else is with us. We all know we get a lot crazier when nobody else is an elevator with us. But while we act differently when no one is watching, increasingly we’re subject to being watched much more of the time. To get creatively crazy, it’s important to figure out ways to avoid whatever “cameras” thwart your wild mental (and other types of) abandon.”

Free Blogging Webinar Tuesday, 1/18/11, from Michael Stelzner and two other social-media gurus!

Nancy — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:23:57 +0000

There is a free Webinar 1/18/11 at 1 p.m. EST entitled 9 Companies Doing Blogging Right and What You Need to Know with Rick Calvert, Dave Cynkin, and Michael Stelzner. You can sign up here–and even if you won’t be available at the time of the Webinar–they’ll provide you with the link to the content.

This no-obligation Webinar is a precursor to their 2011 Blogging Success Summit–but it’s open to everyone with some great content regardless of whether you opt in for the full summit. I’ve participated in one of Stelzner’s other Summits–the Social Media Summit–and it featured some of the world’s top experts and users and also granted you access to an incredibly proactive community of fellow participants through their special LinkedIn group.

WHO ELSE WANTS YOUR NICHE? 3 Things You Must Know to Assess Your Competition

Nancy — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:27:54 +0000

Here’s a link to a helpful piece from Susan Friedman, CSP, @tradeshowcoach describing what’s key to know in assessing your competition even if it seems pretty comfortably yours now.

One of her recommendations includes the use of Alexa [found at www.alexa.com], which she describes as “An easy way to determine the biggest movers and shakers is to head over to Alexa and enter in your keywords. Alexa enables you to see an in-depth view of what your competitors are up to, based on the rating of popularity that they are enjoying through individual site visits. They also offer the ability to view analytic data about specific sites, including the countries from which sites’ main traffic sources come from and number of other sites linking in. It’s an extremely powerful tool that you don’t need to pay for!”

Read more by following the link: http://bit.ly/a1UU6M

Are you a victim of “workweek creep”?

Nancy — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:05:22 +0000

It’s always interesting to get the day’s word (sometimes it’s a phrase) of the day from the extremely diverse Urban Dictionary. Today’s seems particularly apropos for a holiday as many of us may find ourselves working on a day that is supposed to be a day off from labors and appreciation of the labors of others. For those of us in the communications realm, I actually recommend you check out any words or phrases you may have any question about on the www.urbandictionary.com site as you may be surprised at some of the street/urban meanings for things you thought were pretty innocuous!

Here’s the definition for today:

September 6: workweek creep

1) Constant connectivity via your smartphone and computer blurs the boundaries between your work life and your personal life.

2) Constant connectivity at work via e-mail & chat, results in so many interruptions that you cannot get blocks of time to do any thinking, resulting in you catching up on your work at home on nights and weekends.