Author Archives: Geneve

Why It’s Time to Retire the Grammar Police

January 23, 2012 – 10:11 am
Grammar Police: To Serve and Correct

End police brutality!

We at Red Paper Clip hear it all the time: “I’d love to start blogging, but I’ve just never been that good at grammar, and I don’t want to look like an idiot.”

And such fears aren’t unfounded. There’s no shortage of Grammar Police patrolling the Internet, ready to chase down any opportunity to show off just how much they know.

Now, I’m no Fowler or Grammar Girl, but I suppose one could call me a grammarian of sorts. When I worked at MacEwan, I had to teach grammar, among other things, and nothing gets your grammar butt in gear faster than having to explain errors and teach new skills (as opposed to just making corrections as a copyeditor would).

I get the whole Grammar Police thing. I really do. I’ve been known to post the odd “Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling” article on Facebook or to lean over and share a giggle with Idris as we pass a billboard with a non-deliberate error. Sometimes, laughter is the only way to scratch the brain itch that comes with seeing a misspelled word, misused term, or misplaced comma.

But I am sick to death of seeing the posturing that critics use to elevate themselves while hurting and belittling the writer. I’m talking about people who comment on Facebook walls or novice bloggers’ entries just to show the writers how little they know and how unworthy they are of posting on the Internet. I’m talking about people who go into the Remedy Café bathroom with a pen just to correct people’s graffiti and make them feel awful for having dared wield a Sharpie without having perfect command of the English language.

I’m talking about people who probably aren’t even good writers themselves.

You see, teaching grammar forced me to strengthen my own technical knowledge of writing, but it also taught me to appreciate what people are up against when it comes to developing writing skills (which is another blog post altogether!). It taught me that people should never be afraid to express their amazing ideas and use writing to engage people because they still struggle with to, two, and too.

It taught me that good grammar doesn’t always equal good writing.

Here are my reasons for thinking it’s time for everyone to put down their red pens and lighten up on each other:

1). We All Make Mistakes

Sure, you may make fewer mistakes than the average person, but you still make them. We all do, no matter how knowledgeable or experienced we are as writers or how good we are at editing our own work.

And frankly, there’s nothing funnier to an actual writer than seeing self-professed grammar nerds picking on others while using less-than-perfect grammar, punctuation and syntax themselves.

2). There Never Really Was a Golden Age of Writing

Well, at least not in the sense that the majority of people never struggled from time to time with mechanics. Before curricula moved away from strict grammar instruction in favour of less-formal writing instruction, students did learn how to parse sentences in grade school, but studies have shown that the link between that specific kind of formal grammar instruction and consistent application of these rules is highly debatable. (Note: I’m not saying all forms of grammar instruction are ineffective!) True, most written communication had fewer errors, but also keep in mind that CEOs and managers had secretaries and assistants who handled many of these pieces.

3). Good Grammar Is Not Synonymous With Good Writing

The two aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but having flawless blog pieces hardly guarantees you followers. If you fancy yourself a grammarian, take a few minutes to scan a few blogs from the first ten of the Top 100 Blogs. I’m willing to bet you’ll find more than a mere handful of errors. Readership in the blogging realm has far more to do with your ability to engage readers with relevant content than it does with flawlessness.

So, if your fear of blogging (or any other form of writing) stems from your concern that the self-appointed Grammar Police are going ticket you for every error in grammar or punctuation, remember that most real writers don’t behave that way. Why? Because they’re too busy working on their own stuff to troll others’ work for errors, and they’re thanking their lucky stars for the editors and copyeditors that have their back for anything formally published.

And if your fear of writing for your business comes from not knowing what to write or having to add yet another item to the task list, contact us to see how we can help.

Geneve

More Posts - Website

Tags , , , , , , | Permalink | Comment (0)

Don’t Be That Company!

November 28, 2011 – 10:34 pm
"That Guy"

"That Guy" or "That Company." It's all the same in the world of social media!

Friends. Followers. Fans.

Whatever you call them, they’re your people—your online community.

Do you treat them as such, or has your company’s Twitter feed, Facebook page, blog and email newsletter turned into a spam machine, with update after update after update about new products, services and company-held events?

While some may view social media as a means of distancing ourselves from one another and taking the personal out of personal relationships, the opposite is true when it comes to marketing. Once someone has liked, followed or subscribed to you, they have essentially brought you into their circle. They have not only granted you access to their personal or professional online network and presence but they have also gone out on a limb to show all of their followers, friends and fans that they in some way identify with your company and its message. Respect this.

How Should You Treat Your People?

1). Engage them

This often involves posting great articles and links you think your people can use, not just updates about you. It’s also about talking to your people. Asking questions is a great way to build community. If you’re a coach, ask them to share or send you a story about a time they surprised themselves by achieving what they thought was unachievable. If you’re a clothing designer, ask them to share the worst clothing trend they fell for in high school. Just get them talking!

2). Always reply

When someone does use your social media channels to talk to you or share your material, don’t ever ignore them. A meaningful reply is best (too many “thanks for posting!” comments will feel automated), but any acknowledgment is better than none.

3). Pay attention

Just as you’re using social media as a networking tool to boost your online presence, your people are too, and it’s all about give and take. Take the time to look through your list of people and see what they’re up to. It’ll give you some great insight into who they are and what they’re looking for, but it’ll also give you an opportunity to talk directly to them or to share their material. When they see that you care enough to pay attention to them, they’ll care enough to pay attention to you.

Tip: If you have a lot of followers, it can help to use a program like SocialBro to create lists of people to keep an eye on. You may not have time to pay close attention to everyone, but even if you can create a list of 50 contacts whose engagement would be a real asset to your company, you’ll still come out way ahead of the game.

In essence, what we’re talking about here is the Golden Rule. We all want our friends and acquaintances to see us as people and to put in the time to stay connected, even if they’re not our bestest best friends.

After all, if you wouldn’t want to be your friend, you can’t expect anyone else to.

Geneve

More Posts - Website

Tags , , , , , , , , | Permalink | Comment (0)

Who is Lululemon?

November 15, 2011 – 1:32 am
Lululemon "Who is John Gault?" bag

Photo credit goes to Rick Marazzani at MindPosts

Recently, Lululemon began distributing shopping bags with “Who is John Galt?” printed on the sides, following up with a blog post explaining the company’s decision. Unsurprisingly, this has put Lululemon at the center of controversy as some identify with the message and others paint it in a less favourable light, as a libertarian message endorsed by a company that sells a lifestyle based on conscientiousness and harmony.

I’m not here to discuss Ayn Rand’s politics. Instead, what interests me in all this is whether Lululemon is really all that off base in using such a loaded and controversial literary symbol.

What Were They Thinking?

In its blog post, Lululemon explained itself by saying that it’s John Galt’s pursuit of greatness over mediocrity that is behind its latest marketing inspiration.

Fair enough. No little kid responds to, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with, “I want to be mediocre!” And hey, the notion that we can all be whatever we want to be and rise up above circumstance with the right mindset is soothing, kind of like a comfy pair of yoga pants and a cup of hot herbal tea, no?

What’s contentious here is the philosophy of how such greatness is achieved. According to Rand, it’s by acting in self-interest and having a government that stays well out of your way. It’s political.

Using politics in your marketing is ballsy, and those behind the campaign had to have known this would earn the company some enemies.

Or has it?

Who Wears Lululemon?

Something tells me that the people passing Lululemon’s blog post around on Twitter and Facebook and talking about how disgusting this all is aren’t regular Lululemon customers. Lululemon lost the love of the leftist and hippie yoga crowds long ago with its pricing, upscale locales, sweatshop labour allegations, and ubiquitous presence on the bodies of well-to-do so-called “yuppies” and “yummy mummies” in line for an extra-hot skinny latté at Starbucks.

And it is those bodies that Lululemon is marketing to.

Chances are, if you’re the type to have a hate-on for Ayn Rand, you’re not—and never have been—Lululemon’s target market.

The reason so many people are upset at Lululemon’s “Who is John Galt?” campaign isn’t because their much-loved athletic wear provider is a turncoat. It’s because it further reinforces what they already know Lululemon to be: A corporate retailer that has found its niche in high-end, fashionable athletic attire and that aims to profit off of the latest trend in all things yoga, pilates, and dance.

Those Who Try To Please Everyone Please No One

Fact is, Ayn Rand, or at least Lululemon’s interpretation of John Galt, likely resonates with those who are able and willing to spend $100 on a pair of stretch pants. There’s nothing disingenuous about Lululemon’s marketing here. People are strongly divided on the issue, to be sure, but those on the side of Lululemon are exactly the ones Lululemon sought to appeal to.

When it comes to everyone else, well…

No love lost, right?

 

Having not looked at Lululemon’s market research and having not consulted them on their choice of words, I can of course only guess at the company’s motives and provide distant assumptions about the campaign’s effectiveness. However, if you’d like to see how you can use the written word to connect with your best people, contact us to arrange for a free consultation.

Geneve

More Posts - Website

Tags , , , , | Permalink | Comments (5)

Editing is for Chumps. Try Tweaking.

October 4, 2011 – 4:07 am

 

Editing is for Chumps. Try Tinkering.

Yes, this is exactly what tweaking looks like.

Here at Red Paper Clip, we always say that the writing is actually the smallest part of the job. I don’t have any exact figures to throw at you, but if I had to take a guess, I’d say that the writing process is broken down roughly like this: 40% planning and research, 20% writing, and 40% tweaking.

Tweaking?

That’s right. I would have said editing because that’s normally how this stage of the process is described, but in reality, there are three sub-stages here—revising, editing and proofreading. Hence, tweaking.

Of course, proper tweaking is a process. And just like any good process, you have to stick to this exactly as it’s laid out. I know, I know, writing is supposed to be a fluid and beautiful dance of creativity and all that, and the writing phase can certainly be that airy-fairy, spiritually cathartic experience if you want it to be, but trust me: Tweak in the following order and only the following order.

Revise

This is the stage at which you get to step back and look at the piece in its entirety. In fact, if it’s web or marketing copy you’re writing, I encourage you to literally step back and look at it in its entirety.

Are your ideas broken up properly? Does everything appear in the right order? How is the balance working out? Are some ideas getting too much real estate while others need to be fleshed out?

These are the questions you need to be asking because this is your chance to make any larger structural changes to the document and to add or remove content.

Edit

Pull out your thesaurus and dictionary (always use them together!) because now’s the time to search for that perfect word. Now’s also the time to look for flow, continuity, tone and style.

At this point, it really helps to read out loud. You’ll be surprised at how much more you catch when you hear the words being spoken than when you just read them on the screen.

Proofread

Sigh. Grammar and punctuation.

I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that if you’re not a grammarian at heart, there are plenty of great resources out there. The bad news is that without at least some formal knowledge of grammar and punctuation, these sources can be difficult to navigate because a). you have to be able to recognize that something’s wrong with the sentence in the first place, and b). you have to know what to call the error in order to look up the rule.

And of course, the usual cautions about relying on your program’s spell check and grammar check apply. Spell check won’t warn you that you’ve got the wrong word if you’ve spelled that wrong word correctly, and your grammar check…well, that often just gets it wrong. Also keep in mind that web and marketing writing don’t always follow formal grammar conventions.

There is a trick, though, and it is to read backwards.

I don’t mean that you should read backwards word for word; rather, start with the last sentence first, then read the second last sentence, and so on.

Why does this make such a tremendous difference?

When you take a piece you’ve written and read it top to bottom, chances are good you’ll be reading in context. That means you’ll be distracted by thoughts like, Does that even make sense? What was I trying to say there? Does it sound okay? Or you’ll just get into the flow and coast along, missing otherwise-obvious errors.

By reading bottom to top, you look at each sentence by itself, not as something that flows from and into the thoughts before and after it.

Give it a shot. Even the most un-wordsmithy will catch more this way than they would reading it from beginning to end.

A Few Final Words

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Tweak in this order and only this order. If you try to edit before you revise, you’ll double your work when you have to re-edit after shuffling things around. The same goes for proofreading before you revise or edit.

Also leave yourself time between each of these steps. In a perfect world where you find yourself tweaking when the deadline is still miles away, you’d leave yourself a day between each step, but in the real world, most of us have to make do with a few hours or minutes. Any time you can leave yourself will help, even if it’s just enough to grab a quick coffee and check a couple of emails. You need fresh or fresh-ish eyes. Trust me on this one.

Finally—and I don’t know why this works, so just take my word for it—either print the document out, especially if it’s longer, or change fonts when you’re ready to proofread. Something about making it look a bit different makes your proofreading eyes extra hawk-like.

I know this blog post is longer than most, so if you’ve made it this far, you get my sincere thanks and extra trooper points.

Happy tweaking!

Geneve

 

Geneve

More Posts - Website

Tags , , , | Permalink | Comment (1)