Political Word Play

Politics is good for the word business. I'd like to believe that the reverse is true, and good communication is also good for politics or - much more than that - good governance. But this is blog about writing, not philosophy, so I'll leave it at that.

Winning Words? 

In the news lately, in case you missed it:  dumpster fires and dog whistles. (And thanks to CJR, now we all know there's no longer a need to capitalize dumpster.) Before you use the term 'dog whistle,' be aware that it may carry some racist baggage.

While numerous folks have suggested that politics doesn't showcase the best of human thought processes, at least we're trying to learn from the rather bumpy ride that the 2016 Presidential campaign trail has taken us on.

As always, I urge you to choose your words carefully, and read with at least one eye open.

Image: http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/dog-whistle-political-meaning

Has AP Gone Batshit Crazy? Nope.

I think the use of both words in question - both used in quotes - was absolutely right in this case.

The Words in Question  

Donald Trump said "pussy." Into a microphone, in a public place, specifically, a political rally. No duh, the press was there. And not long after, Republican Senator Lindsay Graham said (to a bunch of journalists) "My party has gone batshit crazy."

Frankly, I'd be pissed if I found out later that the journalists didn't quote either man verbatim.

Why "Those Words" Are OK Today

Look, everyone following election year coverage (and I sincerely hope a lot - all! - voters are) needs to get as much insight as possible into the candidates we'll get to vote for this fall. Word choice is important. So is passion. Communications skills. Comportment. And an ability to balance those traits...or lack thereof.

What do you think? I welcome the comments of thoughtful readers and journalists - of course - and will follow the maddening crowd (i.e., Twitter etc) for fun. And for insight because...well, it's a news channel too, folks. But we'll talk about that later.

In UI, Words Matter Too

                                           

Words and pictures. We can argue what's more important till the ^ come home.

The smartest design/communications organizations don't play that game. They know words and pictures both matter. They know that words and images work together to get your message across.


Recently, Convincify did a lovely job of illustrating that point.

See what I did there ;)

twitter.com/convincify

No Matter How Mobile-Ready Your Site, You're Still Using Words, Right?  

You can't control the types of devices your users access, read and view your site. But the words you use to get your message across - yep, those are up to you. Certainly, your site must be responsive. Yes, you should test it for various resolutions and compatibility with different devices. 

And, you should spend at least as much time, effort and brainpower getting the words on the screen right. 

Right? 

Right. 

Whew. Good. I didn't *really* want to discuss this until the cows came home. I'll be moooooooving on now.

Move Over Down to Read Your SERPs

Speaking of moooving, you should click over to a SUPER helpful article just posted to the MOZ blog. On the latest eye-tracking studies, it has some very important info for people who want to make the most of their words.

To wit, page descriptions matter more than ever, especially when your prospects are searching on a mobile device.

"Remember you're dealing with a reduced space, so ensure your most important information is at the very beginning of page titles and descriptions, including priority keywords in the body of the website content."

Read the whole article on Moz.com. It's worth all 8 minutes, I swear.
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Need a writer who gets your business, and keeps up with scintillating SEO stuff, too?  Well, I try. The result is 
Writing That Works, for you and your prospects. 

January, Janus Words, and other Two-fers

In our social media-obsessed world, it seems somehow fitting this year ends on a #TBT.

Translation for luddites: TBT is Twitter/Facebook speak for "Throwback Thursday."

Now, throwing it waaaaaayyyy back, I'm sharing an oldie-but-goodie from CJR about two-faced Janus words. Who knows how our language will evolve and change in 2016?

In Case You Haven't Heard, Oxford's Word of the Year Isn't a Word

In case you haven't heard,
Oxford's word of 2015
isn't a word.

This is sort of a haiku.
Words make me

Another Way to Say it

When Racism Slips into Everyday Speech, an excellent 2014 article in The Root, really challenged my ways of thinking, speaking, and writing.

Of course, it also challenged my opinion of myself as a non-racist, and as an "educated" user of language. (Here's another great thing about the internet - I can't hear you laughing.) Anyway, since reading the article, I've tried to rephrase some of those offensive sayings by using less idiomatic language. It required more brainpower than I expected, but I was OK with that - communication is a worthwhile endeavor and thinking has yet to be proven bad for your health.

Old Dog, still learning. 

I hate to admit that many of the phrases the article cited were ones I used often, although I didn't know their origins. Yeah - me, lover of word origins. Yes, I'm embarrassed. Properly educated/chagrined, I'm changing my ways.

Rather than refer to people I don't know as "the peanut gallery," "hoi polloi," or "unwashed masses," I'm opting for the quite useful phrase "anyone else" or "everyone else." Or instead of "Grandfather clause," I see the better turn of phrase is "longstanding exception" or "accepted exception."

Good Communication Not Always "Creative"

As I said, I used these phrases and others on The Root's list pretty frequently in the past. I considered them lively, interesting descriptions - and I assumed I understood their meanings without taking the next step to find out how they'd developed. Definitely my bad.

Also bad on my part: I mistakenly thought using these "creative phrases" was a means of demonstrating my love of language. But I know better. The #1 job of words is to communicate, so it's critical to choose your words to communicate what you intend - not a meaning that could offend.
So, the bottom line is - even an old dog can learn a new trick or two. (Lord help me, I didn't research the origin of that phrase...)

As I've told many a business owner about corporate communications, your words should work for you, not against you.

Okay! or not OK? Either way, I love a good word origin story

I love, love, love this CBS broadcast about the history of the word Okay. OK?

Speaking of a storied past, a list recently circulated by a friend (thanks, Lisa!) highlights the history of several other words and phrases that could contribute racist undertones to everyday speech. While communication is always improved by using the just-right word (meaning, consider connotation and denotation), I think there's something else to point out:

Often, a word's origin is a solid hook on which to hang a history lesson.

Now that school's out for the summer, why not delve into a few moldy old words and see what you can dig up about the past? It could put a whole new spin on your communications.

Avoid Marketing Communications Missteps 

This belongs in the Well, Duh column, but is worth mentioning: When you're updating your company website, managing a corporate blog or social media campaign, or involved in any marketing communications activities, you'll certainly want to watch your words and know their histories. I love to say it, because it's so true: words should work for you, not against you.

Word Wayback Machines

Word origin teasers from Oxford Dictionaries
The history of Call Me Maybe, and what's a photocopier?
Etymonline had me at "wheel ruts" of modern English

Word Sense All Play

Join in the fray and help scientists learn whether words have anything to do with our sensory perception. It'll take 20 minutes of your time and you just might learn something.

Word Geek Week

The more you read the more your vocabulary grows, or so the saying goes. I believe that, so much so that when I don't feel challenged or stretched by a book vocabularily (no, that really isn't a word - is it?!) frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. In fact, Swimming Home was disappointing to me in that regard - among others.

My disappointment drove me to go back to list I've made (haphazardly) over the years, of words I've learned or re-learned, thanks to some the books I've read.


From Iran Awakening  there was restive and foment (and a dozen others, at least).

How Soccer Explains the World prompted me to look up obeisance, pogrom (a riot-like fight/Russian origin)  picaresque, inveigh (speak of in a hostile way, I think) counter-hegemony, legerdemain, and soi-disant. 

I'm sure I learned a few from the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,
but - well,  did I mention the list was haphazard? That's about as far as I got. 

What about you? Ever find yourself looking up new words as you read? Tell me about it. 

7 Signs You're a Word Geek

7. You know that the OED has an appeals process.
6. You know that OED is not an acronym for a health condition or trade association.
5. When someone describes you as "verbose," you know it's not intended as a compliment, but may question whether the user knows that.
4. When you realize you don't know the difference between optimal and optimum, finding out becomes your most urgent task.
3. Admit it. You're miffed that there aren't more headlines like this and hate that more people read articles like this.
2. In a potential mate, no amount of physical attraction can overcome a poor vocabulary.
1. While you read this, you came up with 7 more.

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~Diane Stresing

(Bonus for copyeditors: you knew what to do with hashtags WAY before Twitter did.)  

MagPo Gets the Last Word in 2011

Magpo (Magnetic Poetry, for the uninitiated) is great fun for word geeks and, well, everyone, based on a really poorly designed study of all of the guests at my house.

Magpo is one of those genius ideas that made me mad, in a why didn't I think of that/people really spend money on that? sort of way. It's so much fun to use, though, that I couldn't stay mad for long.

Concrete poem

I bought a set, then another, and... ok, one more, and darn it, I'm glad I did. This is not a paid endorsement; I'm just having fun. Imagining I'm a poet. Communicating with my refrigerator door. Whatever. Magpo makes me happy! Bonus tip: buy three sets - they'll cover so much of the surface area of your frig, you won't need to clean it again. Just the exterior, mind you, but still: whee! Magpo is a hoot!
See what I mean...

True dat.

Some writers are better than others. Some wrangle words in an attempt to seem profound. Some, well, I don't know. (See 'drunk vision, ' above.)

Write on, anyway!

3/8/12 >>> THIS JUST IN >>> 
Four free Magpo apps (great if you need help procrastinating on deadline) from MakeUseOf.com

Guest Post: Salvo or Salve?

Salvo or Salve?
One vowel. Big Difference.

The words we say or write can hurt or heal. Whether we lob a salvo or offer a salve is our choice. 

In the era of cell phones, texting and other immediate communication, quick responses are expected. But, hasty, knee-jerk reactions have consequences. To skip an intermediate step to contemplate the impact of our words, and instead allow our raw emotions to shape what comes out of our mouths or appears onscreen unedited, can be costly to our personal and business relationships.
 

Do we intend to demean a subordinate by spewing an insult?
Do we intend to reassure a child with a calm explanation?
 

Whenever the opportunity arises, we can choose to use statements that empathize, not terrorize; expressions that heal, not hurt.
 

Why? Based on our own experiences, we know that positive salves and negative salvos can have lasting, residual effects. Each of us probably can recall vividly the caring or damaging exchanges we have had. When Word Hugs™ were shared or pains were inflicted, those memories lingered. Both repeated kind and unkind remarks are particularly unforgettable.
 

We should be aware of whether our speech or writing helps or harms others.

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I'm delighted to have this guest post from Carmen Ambrosio! I met Carmen in May, when she was enjoying some well-deserved recognition at a meeting of Ohio Professional Writers.

After earning a journalism degree from Michigan State University, Carmen gained extensive experience in corporate marketing communications. Now, she pursues her own writing and art full-time. Her first book, Life Continues: Facing the Challenges of MS, Menopause, and Midlife with Hope, Courage, and Humor, was published in 2010. 

 

 Learn more about Carmen, her work, and Word Hugs™ at http://www.ambrosart.com where she also shares a little about her writing philosophy, and life.
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"We all need the daily emotional nutrition provided by positive, supportive communications of friends, family and others we encounter on our paths." ~~ Carmen Ambrosio

Words that Sell & the Semantic Web

For the most part, people communicate in words, and computers do their best to understand us. Now their best is getting better. Now semantic web tools - touted as "the next big thing"in 2001(!) - are really proving their worth as great interpreters (of our search keywords) and the result is...well, happy retailers, at least.

In addition to investing in software platforms that take advantage of semantic searches customers use while shopping online, retailers are also learning that integrating blog content with behind-the-scenes sales tools and including terms shoppers use to find products leads to more "organic" traffic (generated from searches on-site, rather than visitors arriving from off-site) and higher conversion rates.

The difference the words make: Fickle customers decide to buy or abandon a site within a couple of minutes. That means to make the sale, your site has to understand what a customer wants when she types in "small red bag" or "dainty maroon clutch" and figure out that it may or may not be the same thing. At its most basic, a semantics-savvy search engine won't deliver something related to a manual transmission and is likely to counter with a question like "to take to the gym or accessorize evening wear?"

So what does today's more mature semantic web mean to copywriters? If your paycheck depends on using words to sell, you need to understand its behavior well enough to use it to your - and your clients' - advantage.

Watch Your Words, and Not Just on Facebook

What's in a word? Maybe clues to your personality, how many friends you have, and the future of your business.

Sure, this is partly to remind you of the value good writing ;)  but wait, there's more - in this great article about marketing and your approach to Facebook.

The Entreprenuer.com article will sound familiar to those who have really read How to Win Friends and Influence People, however, this article is based on analytic data, most of which was complied by folks at Facebook to analyze that site's business marketing opportunities. (Ad revenue makes the world go 'round, you know.)

The lesson in a nutshell? The words you choose matter, so choose carefully - and think before you share.
(Want to share this on Facebook? Click here - and thanks!)

Dear Governor-elect Kasich: Call me next time

File this under writer as image consultant:

About 8 hours after every newspaper and website in Ohio (and quite a few outside the state) broke stories about governor-elect John Kasich's edict excluding the media from his inauguration, the guv reversed his decision. 

And that was the right decision. But. There's always a but - and a good writer knows what to do with it. 

Because Kasich intended to hold the inauguration at his private residence, rather than the governor's mansion, there were undoubtedly many important issues (security) that may- just may- have warranted the closed ceremony.

Had he handled the message a little (okay a lot) differently, Mr-about-to-be Governor could have not only kept the media at bay, but won (more) friends and influenced (more) people at the same time. For example, how 'bout a press release stating, "These are dire times for Ohio; our budget is severely strained. Because of this, I cannot justify the expenditure required to hold a traditional, large, very public inauguration ceremony. The (show big dollar amount here) savings will go directly to the state's bottom line, and in doing so, I hope to show every other state worker I mean business."  

It certainly would have given me a different perspective on things. As it is, I'm just left wondering, what's this guy's real agenda? Of course, we would have wanted the media to verify the dollar-savings claim, but as long as it was legit, Kasich would have gotten his private inauguration and had the attention of the entire state when he got to work on Monday.*

The words you choose can set the tone for everything. Much as I hate to put it in these terms, I'm afraid it's appropriate in this case: Media 1, Kasich 0. (Mr. Kasich, feel free to call me.)

*John Kasich gets to work as Ohio's governor January 10, 2011

Is That the Write Word? Don't Blow It

Surely you've seen the spell-checker poem - and appreciated it because you understood too well the way that lovely tool can save your butt, or can it.

There are infinite variations on the spell-check ditty, and seemingly infinite ways we can mess up our communication. Choosing the almost-right word is one way that may lead to late-night chuckles, courtesy of Mr. Leno's headline bloopers - or, if you're not so lucky, can lead to litigation.

The following appeared in Paula Morrow's latest newsletter to her writing brethren. It was written by her business and life partner, Bob Morrow, and I post it here with permission. (Thanks, Paula and Bob.)

Ordnance is bombs and artillery shells.
The first is dropped, the second shot.
An ordinance is local law
And you're supposed to obey it, like it or not.


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I get uptight when people - especially business people - are sloppy in professional communications. And while my clients really appreciate that, they're also well aware I'm not an artist. Fortunately for the art and craft of children's literature, Paula and Bob offer thorough critiques for first time and experienced authors. For more about their services, visit the website http://paulamorrow.com